Introduction: The early appearance of musculoskeletal symptoms is an important occupational health problem for dental students that affects their quality of life. Objective: To determine the relationship between work postures and the early appearance of musculoskeletal symptoms in dental students of the National University of San Marcos. Material and methods: Descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 70 students of the Faculty of Dentistry of the National University of San Marcos. The Kuorinka Nordic questionnaire was used for the determination of the early onset of musculoskeletal symptoms, and a postural checklist was used for the type of clinical work posture. Results: It was found that 77,1 % (n=54) presented some type of incorrect posture. Also, 67,7 % (n=46) indicated that the dorsal lumbar region presented the highest perception of musculoskeletal symptoms, while the level of intensity of pain that prevailed most was the moderate level in the cervical region (52,6 %), shoulder (50 %) and wrist/hand (40,9 %); in the lumbar area (43,9 %) a strong level prevailed. The time of suffering from musculoskeletal symptoms was predominantly between 6 months and 1 year. Conclusions: In the population evaluated, there is no relationship between the type of posture and the early onset of musculoskeletal symptoms. Likewise, the dorsal lumbar region is the one that is frequently affected during clinical dental work.