Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dentists in Casablanca’s Dental Center

Abstract

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational pathologies among dentists around the world but studies are quite limited. The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of MSDs among dentists in Casablanca, Morocco.Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among the medical staff (120 dentists) of casablanca’s Dental Center, part of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Morocco, over a period of 3 weeks from July 24, 2017 to August 11, 2017. The study was based on a self administrated questionnaire which comprises two parts : the first part included physical characteristics, academic life, clinical practice, ergonomics and work methods ; and second part consists of the “Standardized Nordic Questionnaire” (SNQ) or Nordic style questionnaire.Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in our sample was 71.67%, predominately affecting the neck, the upper and the lower back.Conclusion: Prevalence of MSDs was high among moroccan dentists and the prevention of these disorders requires the adoption of a correct posture, good working habits, an ergonomic organization of the workspace, as well as the integration of regular physical activities in order for the dentist to maintain a good quality of life.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare professionals in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Their results were similar to ndings of our meta-analysis. Several other studies conducted in countries outside Africa have shown comparable rates of MSDs in physiotherapists, dentists and nurses [34, [26], [23], [27], [22]. The reason for this could be that their work activities involve unnatural positions for a long period of time regardless of geographical distribution globally.…”