[Comparative assessment of low back pain and its determinants among Iranian male general dentists and pharmacists]

Regarding the diversity of reported low- back pain among dentists in different countries and lack of control group in most of the previous studies, the purpose of this study was to compare low- back pain and related risk factors between male general dentists and pharmacists to determine the relation between dentistry and development of low back pain. In this cross-sectional study, 261 male dentists were compared with 193 male pharmacists as a control group with Standardized Nordic Questionnaire [low back section]. Subjects were at least one year in clinical practice after becoming qualified and did not suffer from connective tissue diseases and history of a traumatic event causing fracture in spinal column. The data were analyzed by Chi- square, T-test and logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of low back pain in the past 12 months was 54.8% in male dentists and 36.3% in male pharmacists [P=0.001]. Logistic regression analyses, adjustmenting for occupation, age, body mass index [BMI], smoking, working years and working hours per week, revealed that there was a significant association between being a dentist and having low- back pain [OR=2.54, P=0.001]. Dentistry as a profession in male gender is associated with low back pain, independent of age, body mass index [BMI], smoking, working years and working hours per week.

Musculoskeletal disorders in female dentists and pharmacists: a cross-sectional study

Musculoskeletal disorders are an important occupational health problem in dentistry. Few studies have compared these disorders in dentists with other occupational groups. We assessed musculoskeletal disorders in female dentists in comparison with female pharmacists. A cross-sectional study by means of Musculoskeletal Nordic Questionnaire was performed among 191 female general dentists and 211 female general pharmacists who were at least one year in clinical practice and selected using the random sampling method. Those with a history of a traumatic event causing fracture in spinal column or extremities and connective tissue diseases excluded. The data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. 91.6% of the female dentists and 87.7% of the female pharmacists reported having at least one musculoskeletal symptom in the previous 12 months. 12-month period prevalence symptoms of neck [OR=3.17], upper back [OR=2.19] and upper extremity [OR=1.99] had the most ORs in comparison of dentists to pharmacists. In summary, female dentists are at risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders particularly in the neck, upper back and upper extremities.