The Development of Musculoskeletal Disorders during Undergraduate Dentistry Studies—A Long-Term Prospective Study

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) frequently occur among dental practitioners and present a significant occupational burden with an early onset in the dentists’ career. This study aimed to analyze the five-year development of self-reported overall MSDs among the dentistry students during the course of their studies and to assess the possible influence of the risk as well as protective factors. The questionnaire inquiry was performed among the first-year dentistry students, regarding the occurrence of MSDs and the presence of potential risk and protective factors. The same students were followed, and they filled in the same questionnaire in the middle and at the end of their studies. A total of 73 dentistry students and 28 general medicine students participated. The occurrence of the overall MSDs statistically significantly increased from 30.1% at the beginning of the first year to 45.2% at the end of the fifth year among the dentistry students. The top-level sport was statistically significantly associated with the higher occurrence of MSDs in the fifth year and with the development of new MSDs between the first and the fifth year. This longitudinal prospective evaluation showed a significant increase in the MSDs occurrence among the dentistry students during their studies.

Occupational Burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Commonwealth of Independent States: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Population-based studies from the Russian Federation and neighboring countries on the occupational burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are seldom or not included in the systematic reviews. The aim of this review was to summarize published population-based studies from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in order to ascertain the occupational burden of COPD.Methods: We systematically searched www.elibrary.ru and PubMed for population-based studies on the epidemiology of COPD in nine countries using PRISMA. Quality of studies was assessed using the original tool. The odds of COPD in the included studies from vapors, gases, dusts, and fumes (VGDF) was pooled using meta-analysis (fixed effects model), whereas the population attributable fraction percent (PAF%) was pooled with meta-proportion using the random effects model in Stata 14.2.Results: Five studies, three from Russia, one from Kazakhstan, and one more from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (total N = 18,908) with moderate to high quality and published from 2014 to 2019 (none from Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), were included. Spirometry-defined COPD was the outcome in four of them. The pooled odds ratio (OR) of COPD from VGDF was 1.69 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34;2.13], greater in Kazakhstan [OR 1.96 (95% CI 1.35;2.85, N = 2 studies)] compared to Russia [OR 1.52 (95% CI 1.13;2.05, N = 2 studies)]. The pooled PAF% was 6% (95% CI 2; 14%) from three studies.Conclusions: Population-based studies in the CIS get little attention with very few studies published. Although the effect was greater in Kazakhstan compared to Russia, the overall effect did not differ from studies published in the rest of the world. Research capacity to study occupational risks of COPD should be strengthened to produce more evidence of higher quality.

Risk Factors Linked to Psychological Distress, Productivity Losses, and Sick Leave in Low-Back-Pain Employees: A Three-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide. Purpose. To investigate the link between baseline demographic and occupational, medical, and lifestyle data with following psychological and occupational outcomes in a large sample of employees with LBP over a 3-year period. Study Design. Three-year prospective cohort study. Methods. Italian-speaking employees (N=4492) with a diagnosis of LBP were included. Screening at Time 1 was done in order to collect information about severity and classification of LBP, demographic, lifestyle, and occupational status data. Psychological distress (PGWBI) and occupational burden were assessed after 3 years. Results. After 3 years, employees with LBP not due to organic causes had an increased risk of psychological distress. Gender appears to be an important variable for following occupational burden. Indeed, being a white-collar man with a LBP without organic causes seems to be a protective factor for following work outcomes, while being a white-collar woman with a LBP not due to organic causes appears to be a risk factor for subsequent sick leave. Moreover, LBP severity affects psychological and occupational outcomes. Conclusion. Our findings have several implications that could be considered in preventive and supportive programs for LBP employees.