Ergonomic Assessment of Exposure to Musculoskeletal Disorders Risk Factors among Dentists of Shiraz, Iran

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: In dental profession, exposure to risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders raises the probability of musculoskeletal injuries in different parts of the body. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), assess the risk of MSDs, and determine the risk factors of musculoskeletal injuries among dentists of Shiraz city. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, 136 dentists of Shiraz city were randomly selected. The data were collected by Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ). Ergonomic assessment of exposure to MSDs risk factors was carried out by assessment of repetitive tasks (ART) technique. In order to assess dentists’ exposure to MSDS risk factors, the method of ART (ART) was adopted. This method has been designed to assess the risk of those tasks that required repetitive motion of upper limb, especially hands and arms. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS software (version. 22). The study regarded p value of <0.05 as significance level. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 35.6±8.7 years. The 12-month prevalence of MSDs among dentists was 91.9%. The results suggested that risk of MSDs among dentists was high. The results of logistic regression analyses indicated that female gender (p< 0.001) and exercise for less than 3 hours per week (p= 0.001) played significant roles in occurrence of MSDs among the study population. Additionally, the results of ART assessment revealed that risk of MSDs in the right side of the subjects’ bodies was higher. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that risk of MSDs and their prevalence in the study population was high with significant association. Based on the results of regression modeling, it seems necessary to pay proper attention to factors associated with MSDs to develop ergonomic solutions to reduce or eliminate musculoskeletal injuries.