Differences in plantar pressure by REBA scores in dental hygienists

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of the present study was to analyse the effects of working posture, physical balance and work accumulation on shifts in plantar pressure in dental hygienists, by measuring REBA, which evaluates working posture, and plantar pressure, which evaluates physical balance. Methods This study was conducted on 24 dental hygienists currently working in dental clinics. The ergonomic assessment method of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment was used to evaluate working posture in the dental hygienists, and a Gait Analyzer was used to measure plantar pressure. Results The subjects’ mean REBA score was 4.96 ± 1.04 points, and 87.5% of the subjects showed poor working posture, with a REBA score of at least four points. Among subjects with a REBA score of four points or more, seven of the eight parts of the sole of the foot showed significant differences in plantar pressure between the right and left feet (P < 0.05). When we examined changes in plantar pressure over a week, pressure increased on the left side, and in particular, for subjects with a REBA score of four points or higher, pressure increased in the left foot and in the anterior right foot. Conclusions Most of the dental hygienists in this study showed poor posture during working. Subjects with poor posture at a level requiring intervention showed differences in plantar pressure between the right and left feet. Inappropriate posture can cause musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, it will be necessary to prepare internal and external measures to maintain proper working posture in dental hygienists, including education, exercise, improvement of the working environment and improvement of ergonomic equipment and devices.

Back and neck musculoskeletal symptoms associated with the level of postural risk experienced by dentists

“…This result is comparable to Åkesson et al (29), in the incidence study and predictors of musculoskeletal discomfort in Saudi Arabia (5). This is also manifested in the systematic review by Pierre Côté et al (30) and Haye et al (31), in which around 50% of dentists' working time is reported to be in back and neck exion; this is a considerable complex, multifactorial and worrying concern due to the impact it has on the professional practice (31).…”

A comparative neural networks and neuro-fuzzy based REBA methodology in ergonomic risk assessment: An application for service workers

“…Similar REBA applications for risk assessment of healthcare workers are proposed by other researchers using case studies, observations, and questionnaires (Torres et al, 2017;Ratzon et al, 2016;Carneiro et al, 2015). In addition, there are many REBA applications for dental hygienists (Kim et al, 2019;Noh and Roh, 2013;Rafeemanesh et al, 2013), radiologists (Yoo and Koo, 2004;Kim and Roh, 2014) and surgeons (Hignett et al, 2017;Dwyer et al, 2020) as various branches of healthcare tasks. Transportation is another application area that has a variety of REBA studies for operators, carriers and workers, sometimes integrated with other risk assessment tools (Ahmed et al, 2012;Gorde and Borade, 2019).…”

An Overview of REBA Method Applications in the World

“…Applying REBA to dental hygienists is a common practice in the study of plantar pressure [36] and in the taking of oral X-ray images [38]. On other occasions, it is combined with other methods, as was the case with Rafeemanesh et al [40] in order to demonstrate that the neck area is the most vulnerable part for these professionals and to raise awareness of the importance of workplace design and rest periods during the activity as a basic prevention principle.…”