Effect of different ergonomic supports on muscle activity of dentists during posterior composite restoration

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different ergonomic supports on the muscle activity of two trunk muscles while a group of dentists performed a common dental procedure on a phantom head, divided into three tasks. METHODS: A one-way repeated measures study (ANOVA) was conducted on a group of 36 dentists. The middle trapezius and lumbar erector spinae muscles were measured with and without the use of different ergonomic supports (ergonomic stool, magnification lenses and both) using a portable surface electromyography (sEMG) device. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the absolute standard error of measurement (SEM) were used to establish the reliability of the baseline measures without ergonomic supports. RESULTS: The sEMG showed excellent ICCs (ranging from 0.92 to 0.99) and SEM. Bonferroni post hoc tests showed differences between the three ergonomic supports (p < 0.001) in both muscles studied. The lowest muscle activity measurement occurred with the isolated used of magnification lenses. The use of the ergonomic stool increased the muscle activity of the middle trapezius and lumbar erector spinae muscles to a greater extent than the magnification lenses. The combination of the ergonomic stool and the magnification lenses produced a different effect on each muscle.