Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Australian dentists and orthodontists: Risk assessment and prevention

Abstract

Dentists and orthodontists experienced a high rate of musculoskeletal problems which were associated with increased levels of stress at work. Further research should be directed toward interventions aimed at reducing stress in the work environment as well as improving work posture.

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

“…21,22 Similar results were reported in a Queensland, Brisbane study (66.2%), Andhra Pradesh, India (52%) and Brazil (57.5%). [23][24][25] Hand pain reported for hygienists (60.1%) in Australia closely approximates the results obtained in the current study. 20 Nearly 60 % of dentists in this study had experienced hand pain in the last 12 months and the results obtained were much higher than the 29% prevalence in Poland, 22 which was similar to results for dentists in Andhra Pradesh, India (26%) and Jordanian dentists (39%).…”

Investigation of musculoskeletal discomfort, work postures, and muscle activation among practicing tattoo artists

“…This survey appears to still be the only published, formal ergonomics-related assessment made in this population of workers prior to the current study described herein. By contrast, work-related MSD risks associated with dentistry have been extensively studied (Akesson et al, 2012;Books and Klemm, 2012;Droeze and Jonsson, 2005;Finsen et al, 1998;Hayes et al, 2009;Rafeemanesh et al, 2013;Sakzewski and Naser-Ud-Din, 2014;Thornton et al, 2004;Valachi and Valachi, 2003). This is appropriate given the high prevalence of MSK discomfort in dental professionals, with as many as 85% of participating dentists experiencing discomfort in the neck or neck/ shoulder region and 60% in the low back, as reported in various studies (Finsen et al, 1998;Hayes et al, 2009;Rafeemanesh et al, 2013).…”

“…Particularly in the case of appropriate patient/client positioning, dentists are assisted greatly by the proper use of magnification which allows for healthier postures and has been associated with decreased neck and low back pain (Chang, 2002). Alternative viewing aids for dental work were investigated by Smith et al (2002) and something similar may also prove useful in tattooing.…”

Organizational types in relation to exposure at work and sickness – a repeated cross-sectional study within public dentistry

“…However, rearrangements of work tasks by reducing the number of tasks performed by dental personnel might make the work more monotonous, repetitive, and static within an organization, and this has been shown to increase the stress levels perceived by staff [5]. Increased levels of work-related stress are a common risk for physical problems, leading to impaired physical and psychosocial health within dental care [5][6][7][8][9].…”

“…OHPs are seen to be at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders due to the tasks they perform at work which are monotonous, repetitive, and static [10], which might increase the risk for muscular imbalance, neuromuscular inhibition, pain, and dysfunction [7,8,10]. Physical problems, predominantly back pain, have also been regularly reported from OHPs [6,[11][12][13], and the relationship between physical and psychosocial problems in the work environment and sick absence has been reported previously among dental staff members [5,14,15]. Work organization can affect employees' physical and psychosocial work environment, and the reorganization of workplaces often means not only a change in itself but also restructuring and downsizing as well as changes in the composition of the workgroup and management [16].…”