Ergonomic Risk Assessment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons - RULA Applied to Objective Kinematic Data

Background The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is high in oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OS) due to their static and contorted working positions. Hence, the aim of this study was to conduct posture analyses in this specific group of dental professionals using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). Methods In total, 15 (12 m/3 f) OS participated in this study. An inertial motion capture system (Xsens) was used to collect kinematic data during a simulated workflow. Computer-based routines calculated the RULA score for the extracted joint angles at each defined time point. Then, an analysis of the time-dependent RULA scores by body regions was conducted. Key variables were the relative occurrence of specific RULA scores during the complete workflow, individual subtasks, and for treatment of each of the four different dental quadrants. The subtasks and dental quadrants were compared using the Friedman test. Results The total median RULA score represented a high risk for OS during their work (7), including the temporal component (OS spent 77.54% of their working time with a RULA score of 7). The wrists and hands, elbows, lower arms, and the neck were exposed to postures with the highest risk for musculoskeletal strain. Discussion For OS, both the right and the left assisting hand were heavily strained while working on the first dental quadrant caused the most unfavorable postures for OS.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the posture of oral and maxillofacial surgeons using RULA and found that their working positions put them at high risk for musculoskeletal strain, particularly in the wrists and hands, elbows, lower arms, and neck. The first dental quadrant of their work caused the most unfavorable postures for the surgeons.