Musculoskeletal disorders and work ability among dentists and dental students in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are leading causes for long sickness absences and early retirement. Dental work is physically strenuous, and many studies have shown a relation between work-related MSDs and dentistry. However, fewer studies have focused on how these conditions affect the work ability of dentists. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to reveal the relationship between MSD, work ability and sickness absences in Finnish dentists and dental students. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 1200 dental workers and students. It inquired of age, gender, use of dental loupes, physical exercise, use of health care, and site, length and frequency of musculoskeletal complaints. Work ability was assessed with four parameters: work ability score (WAS), future work ability (FWA), self-estimation of MSD-related work disability, and sickness absence days. RESULTS: The questionnaire gained 255 responses (response rate 21%). The majority (90%) of the respondents had experienced MSD during the past year but only eleven percent of them had been on sick leave. MSDs correlated significantly with WAS, FWA and MSD-related work disability. Results remained significant even age adjusted. Age was a strong predictor of declined work ability, but gender, physical exercise or dental loupe use did not have a significant impact. CONCLUSIONS: Despite all the ergonomic advances in modern dentistry, the occurrence of MSD symptoms is still high. MSDs seem to affect dentists' work ability significantly, but amount of sickness absence is relatively low, which may indicate a high level of presenteeism.

Limitations of periodical health examinations in detecting occupational chronic solvent encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVES: Occupational diseases (ODs) are globally underdetected, and chronic solvent encephalopathy (CSE) is no exception. The aim was to study how the recommended policies and protocols were followed in occupational health services (OHS) periodical health examinations where symptomatic CSE cases have remained undetected. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the medical records of occupational CSE cases (n=18) found in a screening project, which had not been detected in preceding OHS health examinations. We collected data from three sources: OHS units, the screening project and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. We analysed the health examinations conducted between symptom onset and the detection of CSE: regularity, content, use of recommended screening tools, exposure estimation and whether a physician was involved in the examinations, as recommended. RESULTS: The mean duration of symptoms before OD identification was 7.3 years (range 3-13), and 36 health examinations had been conducted. Fifteen workers had attended these (1-9 times each) while suffering from CSE symptoms, and two before symptoms. Only one had not had access to OHS. The recommended symptom screening questionnaire, Euroquest, was used in five (14%) examinations, and previous solvent exposure inquired once. A physician was involved in 24 (67%) examinations, whereas the rest were carried out by a nurse. CONCLUSIONS: Although health examinations are conducted, guidelines are not followed. This may be due to a lack of awareness concerning CSE, and may apply to other ODs. In addition to legislation and policies, OH professionals must be continuously educated to improve awareness, prevention and detection of ODs.

Work ability score of solvent-exposed workers.

PURPOSE: Occupational chronic solvent encephalopathy (CSE), characterized by neurocognitive dysfunction, often leads to early retirement. However, only the more severe cases are diagnosed with CSE, and little is known about the work ability of solvent-exposed workers in general. The aim was to study memory and concentration symptoms, work ability and the effect of both solvent-related and non-occupational factors on work ability, in an actively working solvent-exposed population. METHODS: A questionnaire on exposure and health was sent to 3640 workers in four solvent-exposed fields, i.e. painters and floor-layers, boat builders, printers, and metal workers. The total number of responses was 1730. We determined the work ability score (WAS), a single question item of the Work Ability Index, and studied solvent exposure, demographic factors, Euroquest memory and concentration symptoms, chronic diseases, and employment status using univariate and multivariate analyses. The findings were compared to those of a corresponding national blue-collar reference population (n = 221), and a small cohort of workers with CSE (n = 18). RESULTS: The proportion of workers with memory and concentration symptoms was significantly associated with solvent exposure. The WAS of solvent-exposed workers was lower than that of the national blue-collar reference group, and the difference was significant in the oldest age group (those aged over 60). Solvent-exposed worker's WAS were higher than those of workers diagnosed with CSE. The WAS were lowest among painters and floor-layers, followed by metal workers and printers, and highest among boat builders. The strongest explanatory factors for poor work ability were the number of chronic diseases, age and employment status. Solvent exposure was a weak independent risk factor for reduced WAS, comparable to a level of high alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Even if memory and concentration symptoms were associated with higher solvent exposure, the effect of solvents on self-experienced work ability was relatively weak. This in line with the improved occupational hygiene and reduced solvent exposure levels in industrialized countries, thus the effect may be stronger in high-level exposure environments. As a single question, WAS is easily included, applicable, and recommendable in occupational screening questionnaires.

Cost of detecting a chronic solvent encephalopathy case by screening.

BACKGROUND: Stepwise screening of chronic solvent encephalopathy (CSE), using a postal survey followed by clinical examinations, has been shown to detect symptomatic exposed workers with an occupational disease even in industrialized countries with long-term, but relatively low dose exposure. Previous studies have suggested under-detection and late recognition of CSE, when work ability is already markedly reduced. AIMS: The aim was to estimate the cost of detecting one new CSE case by screening and diagnostics, to estimate the career extension needed to cover the cost of screening, and to study the work ability of the CSE cases. METHODS: A financial analysis of stepwise postal CSE screening followed by clinical examinations (SPC screening) was carried out, and the results were compared to those of the group of CSE cases referred to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) by the existing national practice of occupational health services (OHS screening). The work ability of the SPC screened CSE cases was studied in relation to the retirement rate and the Work Ability Index (WAI). RESULTS: An analysis of the costs of detecting a new verified CSE case revealed them to be approximately 16,500 USD. Using the mean monthly wages in the fields concerned, we showed that if a worker is able to continue working for four months longer, the screening covers these costs. The cost for detecting a CSE case was twenty times higher with the existing OHS routine, when actualized according to the national guidelines. A CSE case detected at an early stage enables occupational rehabilitation or measures to decrease solvent exposure. The retirement rate of the SPC screened CSE cases was significantly lower than that of the OHS screened cases (6.7% vs. 74%). The results suggest that SPC screening detects patients at an earlier stage of the disease, when they are still capable of working. Their WAI sores were nevertheless lower than those of the general population, implying a greater risk of becoming excluded from the labor market. CONCLUSION: Stepwise screening of CSE using a postal survey followed by clinical examinations detected new CSE cases at lower costs than existing OHS screening routines. Detecting CSE at an early stage prevents early retirement.

Detecting chronic solvent encephalopathy in occupations at risk.

Chronic solvent encephalopathy (CSE) is under-reported worldwide due to difficulties in recognition and differences in national legislation. Although its occurrence in developed countries has declined, new cases continue to be detected. Our aim was to determine whether CSE can be detected in risk trades, using a stepwise screening procedure. Another aim was to evaluate if this method detects more cases than present occupational health service (OHS) practices do in Finland, a country with decreasing exposures, high OHS coverage and an annual rate of around forty cases of suspected CSE and seven cases of occupational CSE. The studied fields, based on the national occurrence of CSE, were industrial and construction painting, floor layering, the printing press industry, boat construction, reinforced plastic laminating and the metal industry. We obtained contact information from trade union registers and municipal OHS. A postal survey including the Euroquest (EQ) neurotoxic symptom questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (Audit-C), and questions on exposure and medical conditions, was sent to 3,640 workers in the age range of 30-65 years in two Finnish provinces. The survey resulted in 1,730 responses (48%). This was followed by a clinical examination, with methods applicable to OHS, of subjects fulfilling the criteria: three or more EQ memory and concentration symptoms and sufficient exposure, a BDI score≤18, an AUDIT-C score≤8, and no evident medical condition explaining their symptoms. Of 338 respondents with memory and concentration symptoms, 129 subjects fulfilled all the criteria, of which 83 participated in clinical examinations. We found 38 CSE compatible cases. The study shows that more CSE compatible cases can be detected when the screening is directed towards the occupational fields at greatest risk. This stepwise method is more effective for finding CSE compatible cases than regular OHS activity. The number of cases was similar to the total annual occurrence, of new CSE-suspected cases, although the sample represented approximately 18% of the abundantly exposed workforce in Finland. Combining of exposure and medical differential diagnostics to neurotoxic symptom questionnaire, decreases the amount of cases needing clinical examinations. This two-step procedure can be carried out with methods suitable for OHS and other primary health care, both in industrialized and developed countries.