Aim: This study is designed to evaluate the work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted to disclose the incidence, location, and intensity of musculoskeletal pain among dentists in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A questionnaire study was designed. Six hundred and twenty-four dentists participated in the survey working in different centers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Demographic information, type of professional practice, duration of working hours, posture of working, and the distance of travel from home to workplace were collected. This was related to whether a dentist is suffering from any musculoskeletal disorder. The location of pain, intensity of pain, and the preventive measure they employ in their daily life are noted. Results: It was observed that oral and maxillofacial surgeons followed by general dentists were more prone to musculoskeletal disorders. Due to the lack of a well qualified/trained assistant in addition to lack of sophisticated equipment is resulting in professional induced musculoskeletal disorders among oral and maxillofacial Surgeons. General dentists who try to perform all the dental procedures by themselves without the support of specialists were more prone to musculoskeletal disorders. The majority of the participants have lower back pain with a visual analog scale score of 5. It was believed by most of the participants that a good physical exercise in the morning helps from preventing such professional-induced musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, due to their unique work, are more prone to muscle imbalances, and hence ergonomic interventions are essential to maintain optimal health during the course of their professional career.

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The elderly population, aged above 60 years, are prone to various chronic and concurrent diseases. This requires prolonging medication usage, often with complex regimens which affect their medication-taking behavior, compliance, adherence, and overall prognosis of the disease. Thereby, an accurate assessment of adherence behavior and its complimentary factors, prescription analysis are necessary for effective and efficient treatment planning and an overall improvement in the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) of the elderly population. Our study was aimed to comprehend the HRQOL and medication adherence pattern of the elderly. One hundred and thirty-three subjects with a mean age of 66.68 ± 5.49 years were recruited for the study and were assessed for their HRQOL, medication adherence, and the factors influencing medication adherence. Relevant data were collected, questionnaires were administered, and appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Our findings demonstrated that there is a noticeable change in the HRQOL of the elderly population. It was also found that subjects were highly adherent to their medications, but certain factors played a major role in influencing medication non-adherence. This implies the importance of determining factors affecting HRQOL, medication adherence, adequate prescription analysis, and promoting and practicing rational use of drugs that can significantly optimize therapy and provide a good prognosis of disease for the elderly population.

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