Comparison of the risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc between dentists and other occupations: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

Abstract

Objectives Dentists may have a higher risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD) due to prolonged sitting and improper postures during work. We conducted this study to delineate this issue, which is still unclear. Methods This nationwide population‐based study was conducted using Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 10 734 dentists, 72 066 non‐dentist health‐care providers (HCPs), and an identical number of age‐ and gender‐matched participants from the general population. The risk of developing lumbar HIVD among dentists, non‐dentist HCPs, and general population was compared by tracing their medical histories between 2007 and 2011. Results The cumulative incidence rate of lumbar HIVD among dentists during the 5‐year follow‐up period was 1.40%. After adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities, the risk of developing lumbar HIVD was found to be lower among dentists than that among the general population (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64‐1.00) and non‐dentist HCPs (AOR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68‐0.96). Conclusions Dentists in Taiwan have a lower risk of developing lumbar HIVD than that among other occupations. Although this result is different from the general cognition, it does not imply that the prevention of lumbar HIVD in dentists is not important. Further studies are warranted to better address this issue.

Risk for cervical herniated intervertebral disc in dentists: a nationwide population-based study

“…We identified all the dentists from the 2009 registry for medical personnel in the NHIRD (Fig. 1) [11–14]. The 2009 registry for medical personnel we used included all the HCPs registered in 2009 and their medical histories between 1996 and 2012.…”

“…An identical number of age- and sex-matched participants from the general population was identified for comparison. In order to decrease the number of potential confounders, we also identified a cohort consisting of other HCPs who may share similar working environments and socioeconomic status with the dentists for comparison [14–16]. The other HCPs included all the physicians, pharmacists, medical technicians, audiologists, consultant experts, clinical experts, dietitians, social workers, and language experts identified in the database we used, which were not matched with the dentists or general population.…”

“…The other HCPs included all the physicians, pharmacists, medical technicians, audiologists, consultant experts, clinical experts, dietitians, social workers, and language experts identified in the database we used, which were not matched with the dentists or general population. Age subgroups were categorized as ≤34, 35–59, and ≥ 60 years [14–17]. The underlying comorbidities were defined as hypertension (HTN) (ICD-9-CM code: 401–405), hyperlipidemia (ICD-9-CM code: 272), liver disease (ICD-9-CM code: 570–576), mental disorders (ICD-9-CM code: 290–319), diabetes mellitus (DM) (ICD-9-CM code 250), coronary artery disease (CAD) (ICD-9-CM code: 410–414), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (ICD-9-CM code: 496), malignancy (ICD-9-CM code: 140–208), stroke (ICD-9-CM code: 436–438), and renal disease (ICD-9-CM code: 580–593) [14].…”

“…The underlying comorbidities were defined as hypertension (HTN) (ICD-9-CM code: 401–405), hyperlipidemia (ICD-9-CM code: 272), liver disease (ICD-9-CM code: 570–576), mental disorders (ICD-9-CM code: 290–319), diabetes mellitus (DM) (ICD-9-CM code 250), coronary artery disease (CAD) (ICD-9-CM code: 410–414), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (ICD-9-CM code: 496), malignancy (ICD-9-CM code: 140–208), stroke (ICD-9-CM code: 436–438), and renal disease (ICD-9-CM code: 580–593) [14]. The underlying comorbidities included in this study were based on having received the diagnosis during at least three ambulatory care visits, or at least one hospitalization [14, 15]. We included and adjusted for these underlying comorbidities in the logistic regression to control confounding effects [14, 18].…”

“…The underlying comorbidities included in this study were based on having received the diagnosis during at least three ambulatory care visits, or at least one hospitalization [14, 15]. We included and adjusted for these underlying comorbidities in the logistic regression to control confounding effects [14, 18]. The participants who had been diagnosed with C-HIVD (ICD-9-CM codes: 722.0, 722.4, 722.71, or 722.91) before 2007 were excluded.…”