Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at investigating the relationships between health and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in dentists, and the relationship with socio-demographic, work and health variables.METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 204 dentists who work in public clinics in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. We used a self-administered survey that included questions on sociodemographic and health aspects, work-related factors, and the Nordic questionnaire.RESULTS: WMSDs were often reported in the neck, shoulder, lower back, and hand/wrists. Logistic regression analysis revealed that there was a correlation between reports of WMSD in the neck and age (OR = 9.48) and health problems (OR = 6.71). Moreover, strong associations were found between MSDs in the shoulders, gender (OR = 5.88) and breaks between appointments (OR = 4.17).CONCLUSION: We concluded that the health problems diagnosed, work-related activities and gender contributed to musculoskeletal disorders in dentists in this clinic.
Highlights
Oral health-related problems affect much of the population in Brazil and abroad, and dentists are often exposed to a greater number of patients in clinics and an intense workload
Twenty six percent of respondents had some health problem diagnosed in the last year and 62.3% of these were related to musculoskeletal disorders
The results of our study demonstrate the need to develop ergonomic practices for the improvement of working conditions of Brazilian dentists
Summary
Oral health-related problems affect much of the population in Brazil and abroad, and dentists are often exposed to a greater number of patients in clinics and an intense workload. In Brazil, most dentists that previously were dedicated to work only in the public service or just in private practice today exert exhaustive working hours in both types of services. It is observed that these professionals often work in stressful conditions, spending hours in nonergonomic awkward postures and performing accurate and repetitive movements [3]. These conditions lead this category of professionals to develop health problems resulting from the exercise of the profession, musculoskeletal disorders. Such diseases are characterized by the presence of discomfort, disability or persistent pain in the joints, muscles, tendons and other parts caused or aggravated by repetitive movements and inadequate prolonged postures or bodily forces [4]
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