Conventional Chairs Research Articles

School chair design and key criteria from the users’ point of view

People are becoming increasingly sedentary, including students attending the upper level of primary education. Due to school, young people spend a lot of time sitting in class and at home, which has a negative effect on their health, especially if their work environment, including school furniture, does not meet all the criteria in terms of physiological, psychological, and sociological guidelines for healthy furniture design. Chairs, as school furniture, have been designed according to standards that take into account ergonomic compliance with the body height of pupils. Slovenian classrooms are equipped with standard conventional chairs. In our student-oriented research, we were interested in whether chairs designed according to the standard are suitable for adolescents and what, if any, additional criteria must be met from the users’ point of view. The study included 192 upper level pupils (56.3 % girls and 43.7 % boys), age of 12.4 ± 1.7 years. The research is based on quantitative and qualitative methodology. The descriptive causal non-experimental method was supported by the observation method. The results of the survey show that older students (81.6 %) are of the opinion that they spend more time at school than at home. Due to prolonged sitting, older students (55.3 %) report problems more often than younger ones (28.4 %). Nearly two-thirds of younger students (63.8 %) also believe they sit more in school than at home. The results show that prolonged sitting negatively affects their health or general well-being. Differences between the responses of older and younger pupils are statistically significant both in the opinion expressed regarding the location of sitting (p = 0.010) and in the reporting of problems due to prolonged sitting (p = 0.001). There are no statistically significant differences between the sexes in both groups of older and younger pupils. Pupils sit on hard, uncomfortable, conventional chairs that are not tailored to their needs. They want to use comfortable, soft, swivel chairs with backrests and armrests. The study has shown that, in addition to comfort, school chairs must provide dynamic or active sitting. The present study confirms that static and rigidly shaped school chairs do not offer support for active and restless youth. Therefore, chair design must change to meet the physical, ergonomic, cognitive, and social needs of their users.

Efficiency of Universal Back Resting Device in Public Health Dentistry Outreach Activities: A Cross-sectional Study among Patients and Service Care Providers

ABSTRACT Aims and objectives This study was undertaken to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the universal back resting device (UBRD) and to use the obtained data to rectify defects if any and modify it for the betterment of treatment outcomes at camp sites. Materials and methods This is a cross-sectional questionnaire study undertaken among a group of 100 patients and 100 healthcare providers who have received treatment with the aid of and provided treatment with the UBRD, respectively. The data that were obtained by analyzed and percentages were calculated using SPSS 17 for windows. Results The results of this study conclusively pointed out that the UBRD meets the demands that it was intended for and it can also be used as an alternative to portable dental chairs at camp sites or even in primary health centers when the available funds are insufficient in ratio to the number of people requiring treatment. The possible alteration that can be made to the device to increase its efficiency was also noted. Conclusion The UBRD has proved to be useful in providing oral healthcare at camp sites and could be stated that it is a fair enough alternative to conventional chairs when minimum resources are available. Clinical significance The UBRD is a unique device that can aid in providing better treatment and is cost efficient and if it is implemented in camp/outreach sites, it would drastically increase the number of patients getting treated in a short period of time and to an efficiency level almost as equal as a portable dental chair. How to cite this article Benny AM, Murugappan S. Efficiency of Universal Back Resting Device in Public Health Dentistry Outreach Activities: A Cross-sectional Study among Patients and Service Care Providers. J Sci Dent 2020;10(2):34–37.

Postural Assessment of Students Evaluating the Need of Ergonomic Seat and Magnification in Dentistry.

Dental students using conventional chairs need immediate change in their posture. Implementing an ergonomic posture is necessary as they are at high risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders. This study recommends the use of an ergonomic seat and magnification system to enhance the visibility and the posture of an operator. The aim of this study is to make a foray into the hazards caused by inappropriate posture of dental students while working. It also aims at creating a cognizance about the related health implications among the dental fraternity at large, and to understand the significance of adopting an ergonomic posture since the beginning of the professional course. In the present study, postures have been assessed by using rapid upper limb assessment (RULA). This method uses diagrams of body postures and three scoring tables to evaluate ones exposure to risk factors. Ninety students from II BDS (preclinical students in the second year of dental school) were assessed in three groups using three different seats with and without magnification system. The results recorded significantly higher RULA scores for the conventional seats without using the magnification system compared to the SSC (Salli Saddle Chair-an ergonomic seat) with the use of magnification system. A poor ergonomic posture can make the dental students get habituated to the wrong working style which might lead to MSDs (Musculoskeletal diseases). It is advisable to acclimatize to good habits at the inception of the course, to prevent MSDs later in life.

KAJIAN ESTETIKA KURSI EKSPERIMENTAL

Designing chairs in the 20 th century was marked by the efforts to reduce dependency on nature while accelerating issues of the environment and also motivating people to explore their creativity wider. As an implementation of the above aims, several chairs were designed with attempts to explore new values, one of which was material exploration. These attempts include the emergence of new values on many kind of experiments such as the finishing, processing, structure, ergonomics, and which are eventually directed to the final chair form. This research uses the qualitative method of approach with emphasis on the aesthetic meaning and logic of the experimental chair. The aims include identifying the principles of designing experimental chairs through several analyses such as the analysis of experiments that had been done and the analysis of form and function. The research was also undertaken using the methods of description and comparison to analyze the aesthetic values of experimental chairs. Results revealed that the forms produced on experimental chairs were more to be impacted by the process of production elements like materials, color, structure, manufacturing, and finishing that eventually establishes new forms that are more unique and unusual than conventional chairs. The new forms seen on experimental chairs reflect more of contemporary and postmodern values. Contemporary values are represented by the visual uniqueness that relates to contemporary aesthetics while postmodern values were showed by the concept of universality inside it. It is hoped that the conclusions of this paper would determine the direction and orientation of experimental chair design so that it becomes a stimulus chair of deeper chair design development in the future

Application of Zen sitting principles to microscopic surgery seating

This paper describes the application of an alternative seating concept for surgeons that reflects the research of Zen sitting postures, which require Zazen meditators to maintain fixed postures for long durations. The aim of this alternative approach is to provide sitters with a seat pan with sacral support 1 1 The term ‘sacral support’ seems to be commonly used in the U.S., while Japanese people customarily use ‘pelvic support’. The first known use of the term ‘pelvic support’ appeared in Yu and Keyserling (1989). Wu et al. (1998) performed an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of pelvic support for inducing pelvic tilt. In recent years, advances in technology have enabled the direct measurement of pressures on the sacral area that are distinct from those on the pelvic area. In this article, the term ‘sacral’ is used only when the sacral area is identified by palpation. The distinction between pelvic and sacral supports is defined in Section 6.2.1 of this article in relation to Fig. 10. that provides a more even distribution of seat pressures, induces forward pelvic rotation and improves lumbar, buttock and thigh support. This approach was applied to the development of a chair for microscopic surgery. The experimental chair is a seat pan that closely matches the three-dimensional contours of the user’s buttocks. Seat comfort was evaluated by comparing both changes in pelvic tilt and seat pressure distributions using Regionally-Differentiated Pressure Maps (RDPM) with subjective ratings of surgeons while operating in prototype and conventional chairs. Findings include that the sacral support of the prototype chair prevents backward pelvic rotation, as seen in zazen (Zen sitting postures). Preliminary data suggests that the prototype provided greater sitting comfort and support for constrained operating postures than did the conventional chair. These findings support the selective application of concave-shaped seat pans that conform to users’ buttocks and reflect Zen sitting principles.

The Working Postures Among Schoolchildren—A Controlled Intervention Study on the Effects of Newly Designed Workstations

School workstations are often inappropriate in not offering an optimal sitting posture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of individually adjustable saddle-type chairs with wheels and desks with comfort curve and arm support on schoolchildren's working postures compared to conventional workstations. Ninety-seven participants aged 12-16 years were followed for 1 year, 47 at an intervention school and 50 at a control school. Anthropometrics and workstation dimensions were measured and working postures analyzed for a part of each group (n = 21, both groups) by means of video recording at baseline, before new workstations were introduced, and during follow-up. There was a significant increase in upright back (p= .012) and neck (p= .019) postures in the intervention group compared to controls during follow-up. The saddle-type chairs allowed significantly greater trunk-thigh angles (p < .001) among participants than conventional chairs. In schoolchildren, using individually adjustable saddle-type chairs and desks with comfort curve, a better match between workstations and anthropometric dimensions and improved working postures are obtained than using conventional workstations.

Are you really sitting comfortably? A field study of a forward sloping chair and sedentary low back pain sufferers

A number of authors have suggested that office chairs designed to encourage users to sit with an "open" trunk-thigh angle (approximately 110-120 degrees) will be more comfortable than conventional chairs and will have beneficial consequences for sedentary low back pain sufferers.This assertion was investigated in a 4 month trial in which 35 sedentary workers were given a forward sloping chair to use. Ratings of perceived back pain and postural comfort when using the chair were compared with ratings obtained when conventional chairs were used. Additionally, users' comments on both chair types were obtained.For the sample as a whole, significantly less lower back pain was reported on those occasions when the forward sloping chair was used. However, a number of participants reported no change or more back pain when using the forward sloping chair. Users’ comments on the chair highlighted a number of practical advantages and disadvantages which relate to its suitability for use in office settings.Although the majority of users preferred the forward sloping chair to their usual chairs, the available data do not permit the differential response to the chair to be explained on either personal, occupational, anthropometric or ergonomic grounds. A more clinically orientated investigation would seem to be required.

Are you really sitting comfortably? A field study of a forward sloping chair and sedentary low back pain sufferers

A number of authors have suggested that office chairs designed to encourage users to sit with an "open" trunk-thigh angle (approximately 110-120 degrees) will be more comfortable than conventional chairs and will have beneficial consequences for sedentary low back pain sufferers.This assertion was investigated in a 4 month trial in which 35 sedentary workers were given a forward sloping chair to use. Ratings of perceived back pain and postural comfort when using the chair were compared with ratings obtained when conventional chairs were used. Additionally, users' comments on both chair types were obtained.For the sample as a whole, significantly less lower back pain was reported on those occasions when the forward sloping chair was used. However, a number of participants reported no change or more back pain when using the forward sloping chair. Users’ comments on the chair highlighted a number of practical advantages and disadvantages which relate to its suitability for use in office settings.Although the majority of users preferred the forward sloping chair to their usual chairs, the available data do not permit the differential response to the chair to be explained on either personal, occupational, anthropometric or ergonomic grounds. A more clinically orientated investigation would seem to be required.

Static rear stability of conventional and lightweight variable-axle-position wheelchairs.

Wheelchair users with high or posteriorly placed centers of mass often complain of rear tipping on inclines or when accelerating. In this study we compared the rear stability of occupied conventional and lightweight wheelchairs and determined the effect of various rear axle positions. Ten normal subjects were studied in both a conventional (22.6 kg) and a lightweight (12.3 kg) wheelchair. Twenty-one experienced wheelchair users were also studied in their own wheelchairs. Stability points were determined with brakes unlocked on a tilt platform. Inter- and intraobserver test-retest reliabilities were 0.97 and 0.974, respectively. For the normal subjects the mean (+/- 1SD) stability point in the conventional chair was 28.6 (+/- 2.7) degrees. In the lightweight chair their mean stability points ranged from 21.7 (+/- 2.6) degrees to 9.4 (+/- 2.9) degrees, depending upon axle position. The mean difference between the conventional chair and the lightweight chair in its most stable position was 6.9 (+/- 1.7) degrees (t = 13.04, p less than 0.0001) and in its least stable position 19.3 (+/- 2.4) degrees (t = 24.97, p less than 0.0001). Experienced wheelchair users in their own lightweight wheelchairs were less stable than users of conventional chairs (t = 2.16, p less than 0.05) or chairs with posteriorly offset axles (t = 3.64, p less than 0.01).

Evaluation of a forward-sloping chair

A methodology of chair evaluation developed earlier was applied to a novel, forward-sloping chair. Two groups of six subjects each were trained to use the chair and then given an evaluation session of 2 1 2 h . The chair elicited mixed responses, with complaints of leg discomfort from terminal users and of entry and egress from typists. Overall, the chair was no better than conventional chairs and could be worse than well-designed conventional office chairs.