Musculoskeletal complaints among oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dentists: A questionnaire study

Abstract

Objective. This is a questionnaire study aimed to collect information from Turkish dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons concerning common occupation-related health problems, their knowledge about these problems and the precautions they commonly took. Study design. This study involved a postal questionnaire survey of oral and maxillofacial surgeons and other dentists working in various regions of Turkey in both public and private dental institutions in 2010. Results. A total of 608 dentists (337 female, 271 male) were included in the study group and evaluated for musculoskeletal complaints. The mean age of participant was 27.63 ± 9.5, ranging from 22–63 years old. Working position is very important for development of pain. This study exhibited that a significant proportion of dentists with pain worked in standing or sitting alternately working positions (p < 0.001). This study found that 39% of dentists worked in standing position with loading on the right foot, 14.6% loading on left foot and 46.4% loading on both the right and left foot alternately to balance their body weights. It was found that 57% of respondents had worked with a dental assistant and 43% had not. Conclusion. In this study, it was found that musculoskeletal complaints were most frequently seen at dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons who have long working hours per day, working in sitting or standing positions alternately and intermittent working designs.