Journal
WORK-A JOURNAL OF PREVENTION ASSESSMENT & REHABILITATION
Volume 52, Issue 3, Pages 559-579Publisher
IOS PRESS
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-152122
Keywords
Occupation; pain; ergonomics; dentistry; orthodontics; quality of life
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BACKGROUND: As professionals work longer hours and live longer there have been concerns regarding the Work related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) affecting both professional and personal lives. Moreover, past decade has seen a surge in interest in all allied health sciences personnel with self reporting cross sectional studies. OBJECTIVE: Health professionals often suffer WMSD due to occupational stress. It is important to assess the problem in order to find ways to prevent it. Hence, the focus of this cross-sectional survey. The aim was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of WMSD between Australian dentists and orthodontists. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A postal survey was sent to 447 Australian orthodontists and 450 Queensland dentists using the universal Nordic scale previously piloted at UQ and refined for this cross-sectional study. Questions were directed towards individuals, workplace and psychosocial variables and were designed to gather information regarding health, lifestyle, education, awareness of musculoskeletal problems and current preventative strategies. RESULTS: Ahigh prevalence of musculoskeletal problemswas found for both dentists (88.9%) and orthodontists (83.6%) reported in the last 12 months. The main predictor in both groupswas increasedwork stress. Less than a third of those professionals surveyed had received education regarding dental practice ergonomics during their tertiary education. CONCLUSION: Dentists and orthodontists experienced a high rate of musculoskeletal problems which were associated with increased levels of stress at work. Further research should be directed toward interventions aimed at reducing stress in the work environment as well as improving work posture.
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