Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental staff in Armed Force Hospital in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Background: Work related musculoskeletal disorders' (WMSDs) are the most important public health challenge among dental staff. The objective of study was to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for work related musculoskeletal disorder among dental staff in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a cross sectional study and 130 dental staff with at least 1 year of working experience were random selected from Armed Forced Hospital. The self-administered validated and structured Standardized Nordic questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association of risk factors with WMSD. Results: the results of the present study revealed that there was a high incidence of MSDs in neck, shoulder, and lower back pain among dental personnel (72.6%). The common risk factors which contributed to WMSD were more than 5 year of experi-ence(AOR 1.19(1.03-2.82)), Saudi nationality (AOR 4.88 (1.27 - 18.72)), working more than 12 hours (AOR 3.115 (1.258 7.578)) and resident doctors (AOR 1.14 (1.02 - 1.94)). Conclusion: The study conclude work related MSD were common with high rate of incidence among dental staff . There is need to make a policy which will reduce the burden of WMSD dental staff.

Automated summary

This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental staff in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The results indicated a high incidence of neck, shoulder, and lower back pain among dental personnel. Common risk factors for WMSD were more than 5 years of experience, Saudi nationality, working more than 12 hours, and being a resident doctor.