Musculoskeletal disorders and mental health related issues as occupational hazards among dental practitioners in the city of Bengaluru: a randomized cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT

Background: Like in any profession, dentistry is also plagued by many occupational health hazards. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and mental health related issues are very common among dental practitioners. Objectives: A survey was conducted to find the prevalence of these two occupational health hazards among dental practitioners in Bengaluru city. Materials and methods: A questionnaire survey was carried out among 150 randomly chosen dental practitioners in Bengaluru. Questions included their identification details and information about symptoms of MSD and mental health related issues experienced by them in the last 6 months. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was carried out in the present study. Chi-square and Fisher test were used to find the significance of the study parameters on categorical scale. Results: MSD and mental health related issues were found to have a prevalence of 82% and 75.3% in our study. Conclusion: The implementation of preventive measures is necessary, in view of the high incidence of these disorders in the fraternity of dental practitioners.