Influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) among dentists and explore its influencing factors. METHODS: A total of 455 dentists from 9 medical organizations of Beijing and Fuzhou cities were selected as study subjects. The disease occurrence and mental workload were investigated using China Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire and Subjective Workload Assessment Technique. The influencing factors of WMSDs were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The total prevalence of WMSDs was 58.9%(268/455) among dentists. The top three body parts of WMSDs were neck(41.5%), shoulder(33.6%) and lower back(28.1%). The median of mental workload score was 58. Multivariate logistic regression analysis results indicated that female dentists showed a higher risk than male dentists(P<0.01) after excluding the influence of confounding factors. The higher the length of service, the higher their risk for WMSDs(P<0.01). Dentists who hold their heads sideways for long time, bent frequently, and use vibrating tools had relatively high risks of developing WMSDs(P<0.01). Dentists who use armchairs had a relatively low risk of WMSDs(P<0.01). There was no correlation between the mental workload and the prevalence of WMSDs in dentists(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of WMSDs among dentists is high. Individual factors, awkward posture and using vibrating tools are risk factors of WMSDs among dentists.Armchair use can help reduce the risk of WMSDs.