The prevalence of occupational health-related conditions among oral health practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

introduction: Oral health practitioners may be affected by occupational health-related conditions associated with their work environment. There is a lack of relevant data on the prevalence of these conditions among dentists, dental therapists and oral hygienists in KwaZulu-Natal. aim: To describe the burden of occupational health-related conditions among oral health practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: This cross sectional study evaluated data obtained through a self-administered questionnaire that sought information on demographics, occupational health, psychosocial risk factors, work tasks and planning. Data was exported from QuestionPro and analysed in SPSS version 24. Frequencies and means with standard deviations were calculated for categorical and continuous variables respectively. results: Oral hygienists most frequently reported symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders affecting the neck (70%) and the hand (56.5%). Dentists reported the highest prevalence of shoulder pain (55.8%) and of percutaneous injuries (42,3%). The dentists, dental therapists and oral hygienists also reported latex allergy (10.4%) and percutaneous injuries (32.6%). conclusion: The prevalence of occupational health-related conditions reported by the oral health care workers indicate the need to raise awareness about occupational health and warrants the inclusion of these issues on education programs and dental curricula to ensure a healthy work environment.

A case study: Promoting interprofessional community-based learning opportunities for health sciences students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

“…The study suggested the need for ergonomic work practice while in training to reduce the risks of MSDs later in their working careers. [15] The current study shows that students become aware of the risk of MSD through the experiences of the dental clinical staff ˃ they should heed their advice and practise the exercises shown to them by the physiotherapy students to prevent future occurrence of MSDs.…”

The Prevalence, Predictors, and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Concerning Percutaneous Exposure Incidents among Healthcare Workers and Students in Africa: A Narrative Review.

“…few that employed an analytical [43] and quasi-experimental study design [24]. The study regions included Botswana [24], Cameroon [25][26], Egypt [27], Ethiopia [10,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45], Ghana [46], Kenya [47], Morocco [48], Nigeria [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59], South Africa [1,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68], Sudan [69], Tanzania…”

Frecuencia de trastornos músculo esqueléticos de muñeca y mano en odontólogos generales y sus factores de riesgo socio demográficos y laborales

“…Moodley y cols. en 2017 en odontólogos de Sudáfrica encontró que trabajar en posturas incómodas se asoció significativamente con dolor de mano y muñeca (p = 0,015) (30) Nogueira de Sousa Silva en un estudio en Brasil en 2017 encontró que hay un aumento de TME en dentistas, mujeres, en mayores de 40 años, y en personas con comorbilidades y tabaquismo. El 38,3 presentó TME de muñeca y mano (35).…”

“…Moodley en Sudáfrica en 2011 encontró que el 22,5% de su muestra refirió dolor en las manos, 19,4%, entumecimiento en las manos y 24,4%, sensación de hormigueo en las manos mientras realizaba trabajo clínico. La eminencia tenar es un grupo de músculos ubicado en el pulgar y en la palma de la mano que permite diferentes movimientos del pulgar y este fue el sitio más trazado para el dolor (15).…”