Ergonomic Principles to Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dental Professionals

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagar Shipra ◽  
Nagar Rohit ◽  
Neha Gupta Aggarwal
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Dental Professionals

scholarly journals Ergonomic risk and preventive measures of musculoskeletal disorders in the dentistry environment: an umbrella review

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone De Sio ◽  
Veronica Traversini ◽  
Francesca Rinaldo ◽  
Valerio Colasanti ◽  
Giuseppe Buomprisco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Trunk Inclination ◽  
Dental Practitioners ◽  
Dental Professionals ◽  
Ergonomic Risk

IntroductionDental practitioners are exposed to different occupational hazards during the course of their professional activity, such as physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic factors. The ergonomic hazards, caused by strained posture and prolonged repetitive movements, can induce musculoskeletal disorders. It occurs in 54–93% of dental professionals and involve the spine, shoulder and hand-wrist tract. Through a systematic review of international literature, we analyzed specific ergonomic risk factors and preventive measures of musculoskeletal disorders in professional dental activity.MethodsThis systematic review is coherent with the PRISMA statement. The scientific research on the major online databases was based on the following keywords: dentist, prevention, ergonomic, dentistry, musculoskeletal, neck pain, posture, ergonomics, work and occupational. The studies included in this review focus on disorders related to ergonomics and on the most effective preventive measures to be adopted. No restrictions were applied for language or publication type. We excluded reports not related to ergonomic prevention in dentistry, reports of minor academic significance, editorial articles, individual contributions, and studies published in scientific conferences.ResultsOnline research indicated 4188 references: PubMed (2919), Scopus (1257) e Cochrane Library (12). We excluded 3012 of these, because they were unrelated to ergonomics theme and 187 due to duplication. From the remaining 989 studies, 960 papers did not meet inclusion criteria and they were excluded. Therefore, we analyzed 29 articles, including 16 narrative reviews and 13 original article. The main risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal disorders found in our analysis is static posture adopted during work, highlighted in 87.5% of reviews and 84% of original articles. With regard to preventive measures, 75% of the reviews highlighted the importance of stretching after each working session and at the end of the working day, while 61.5% of the original articles emphasized the use of modern and ergonomic instruments.DiscussionThis review showed that static postures are strongly responsible in the etiology of musculoskeletal disorders. The awkward postures more frequently identified among dental professionals are: extreme forward-head and neck flexion; trunk inclination and rotation towards one side; lifting one or both shoulders; increased curvature of the thoracic vertebral column; incorrect positioning of the lower limbs with thigh-leg angle of less than 90°. It is really important to use of a modern workstation with appropriate ergonomic supports. Among the preventive ergonomic measures, literature has widely recognized the role of physical activity and of a neutral and balanced posture. The present review has some limits: a large part of the selected studies did not have a high methodological quality score and an inadequate statistical analysis.

scholarly journals Risk and Exposure of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Surgeons Working in Dhaka City

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Nihar Sultana ◽  
Md Anower Hussain Mian ◽  
Md Golam Rubby
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Musculoskeletal Symptoms ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Entire Body ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Dhaka City ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Dental Professionals

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most important occupational health problems particularly in dental professionals. Dentists are among the workers who are more often susceptible to this disorder, as because their work includes risk factors that may lead to this disorder. The study aims to determine the prevalence of MSDs among dental surgeons , also the risk and exposure of this disorder by assessing job postures and the correlation between them. Methods : This cross sectional study was conducted among purposively selected 86 dental surgeons working in eight different tertiary level public and private hospitals in Dhaka city. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, where Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire(NMQ) used which records the prevalence of MSDs in terms of musculoskeletal symptoms and to assess the risk and exposure of MSDs, Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) score sheet, Quick Exposure Check (QEC) have been used respectively by 10- 15 minutes observing each study subject during different dental operating procedures. After data collection analysis of data was performed by using SPSS software (Version 22). Results : More than 63 % and 47 % of the participants reported pain and discomfort in at least one body region in the last 12 months and the last 7 days respectively. The major affected part was neck, followed by lower back, shoulders and hands / wrists. In different field of specialization among the study subjects musculoskeletal symptoms were highest in oral and maxillofacial surgeons followed by general practitioners, orthodontists, endodontists, prosthodontists. The exposure assessment (QEC) showed that a small percentage (22.1%) have acceptable exposure, where 30.2%, 47.7% had medium exposure and high exposure respectively. Whereas the risk assessment (REBA) showed that 59.3% of the participants were in medium risk group that necessitates further investigation and needs to implement change. Pearson’s correlation test indicated that there is a strong positive correlation between the current exposure and the risk (r = 0.832) and the relationship between exposure and risk of MSDs was found to be highly significant as p < 0.01. Highly significant association found between risk level according to REBA score and the exposure level according to QEC score with MSDs ( as p value < .01). Conclusion: This study concludes that high prevalence of MSDs and high risk levels as well as exposure levels according to REBA and QEC, suggest inappropriate and incorrect ergonomic postural habits existing among the dental surgeons which necessitates further investigation and attention on this issue to combat with this disorder among dental professionals. Update Dent. Coll. j: 2019; 9 (1): 3-7

scholarly journals Musculoskeletal Disorders among Italian Dentists and Dental Hygienists

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2705
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna Gandolfi ◽  
Fausto Zamparini ◽  
Andrea Spinelli ◽  
Alessandro Risi ◽  
Carlo Prati
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
University Education ◽  
Lumbar Region ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Dental Professionals

Dental professionals often perform physically and mentally demanding therapeutical procedures. They work maintaining muscular imbalance and asymmetrical positions for a long time. The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence and the factors associated to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) among Italian dental professionals and the most affected body regions. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between March 2019 and February 2020. The Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) was implemented with questions related to working habits (dental occupation, working hours per week and per days, years of work) and lifestyle (practiced physical activity, including frequency and duration, mobilization activities, and knowledge of ergonomic guidelines) was used. The-chi square test was carried out to detect any statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Logistic regression was carried out to detect the most significant factors associated to WMSD occurrence. A total of 284 questionnaires have been used for the analysis. A high proportion of dental professionals (84.6%) were affected by WMSD in the last 12 months. A higher prevalence was found in females (87%) when compared to males (80%). The prevalence of WMSD was correlated to the working hours/day and hour/week, with a higher risk for operators working >5 h/day and >30 h/week. In addition, a high prevalence was found in operators working for 2–5 years after graduation. Most of the surveyed dental professionals practiced physical activity (70.1%) but only a few had satisfactorily knowledge of ergonomic guidelines (12.7%). Interestingly, participants who practiced yoga or stretching as physical activities demonstrated lower WMSD (77%) when compared to other physical activities (84%). We can highlight that generic physical activities have no functional effect on WMSD for dental professionals. The most affected body areas were neck (59.9%), shoulders (43.3%), lumbar region (52.1%), dorsal region (37.7%) and wrists (30.6%). Considering the magnitude of the problem, there is an urgent need to implement the education in ergonomics among dental professionals, that may be achieved by teaching biomechanics, posturology and integrative functional therapies (such as yoga) during the university education and by promoting holistic health of dental operators.

The Musculoskeletal Difficulties in Dental Professionals

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Lívia Maria Dos Santos Landim ◽  
Jéssica Mariano Uchôa Lopes ◽  
Gledson Fernandes de Sousa ◽  
Sidney Medeiros de Oliveira ◽  
Anny Caroline Costa Vieira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Musculoskeletal Symptoms ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
The City ◽  
Dental Professionals

The appearance of musculoskeletal symptoms in dental professionals is increasing worldwide. In Brazil, has already begun acquires expressive and socially relevant numbers. Since the 80's, it has become a problem of public health and social, because of their scope and magnitude. These professionals are constantly subjected to a number of risks for the appearance of injuries attributed to their work. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms in musculoskeletal dental professionals in the city of Barbalha- Ceará, Brasil. This is a quantitative field study, with 25 dentists. The instrument was the Nordic questionnaire for musculoskeletal symptoms and another for verification of professional knowledge about MDRW (Musculoskeletal disorders related to work). The results were worrying because some work more than one shift, and 40% of them showed signs and musculoskeletal symptoms. The superior limbs seemed more affected and 36% was in column dorsal, lumbar and lower limbs. With regard to the procedure with a higher rate of pain, was extracted. For the pathologies, the tendonitis was the most diagnosed. It was concluded that the dental surgeons in Barbalha- Ceará, Brasil,  seemed very exposed to risk factors, with respect to the emergence of MDRW.                                          Keywords: MDRW, musculoskeletal, symptoms, pain.

scholarly journals Occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathangi Kumar ◽  
Keerthilatha M Pai ◽  
Ravindranath Vineetha
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Patient Positioning ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Dental Professionals

Background and aim. Dentists are exposed to a wide range of work-related factors that may result in various occupational diseases of which musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of MSDs among dental professionals of our institution and to compare the prevalence of MSDs among the various dental specialists. Methods. A self-administered questionnaire, which included basic demographic details, work experience in dentistry, and work profile related questions along with the Standard Nordic Questionnaire, was administered to the study participants. Statistical analysis for the data obtained was performed using SPSS Version 16.0 (Chicago, SPSS Inc.). The  chi-square test was applied to test the association between MSD and variables such as gender, designation, type of dentistry and usage of computers. The Mann Whitney U test was used to assess the relationship between MSD and age, experience, sick leave, number of patients attended per day. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results. 151 subjects participated in the study, and the prevalence of MSD in the last 12 months among dental professionals was 58.3% (88 out of 151 subjects). The most common site affected by MSD was the neck (66.7%). Also, it was noted that among various dental specialists, the Endodontists suffered the maximum (88.02%) musculoskeletal pain. Fifty individuals (33.11%) suffered from pain in multiple sites. Conclusion. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders and pain can be reduced through proper operator-patient positioning, taking adequate breaks between patients, maintaining good physical health through regular exercises.

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