Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access

A Study on the Occupational Problems Faced By Dentists

Sashee Ghosh^{* *}Correspondence: Sashee Ghosh, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Rangpur Dental College, Rangpur, Bangladesh, Email:

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Description

Dentistry is a difficult profession that requires a great deal of concentration and precision. Dentists must have excellent vision, hearing, depth perception, psychomotor abilities, manual dexterity, and the capacity to sustain occupational postures for extended periods of time. Any loss of these qualities has an impact on the practitioner's performance and output. Despite major advancements in dentistry, several occupational health issues still exist in today's dental practice.

Apart from occupational health issues, many countries are dealing with classic public health issues such as infectious diseases, malnutrition, population growth, and insufficient medical treatment. Muskoskeletal Disorder (MSD) is one of the most significant occupational health issues in today's world, with estimates indicating that it accounts for almost 40% of all costs associated with the treatment of work-related injuries. MSD affects hundreds of millions of people around the world and is one of the most common causes of long-term pain and disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations have acknowledged this fact by endorsing the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010. The presence of discomfort, impairment, or persistent pain in the joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues, induced or aggravated by repeated movements and prolonged awkward or forced body postures, is a symptom of MSD. In terms of pathophysiology, musculoskeletal disorders represent a varied set of conditions. The burden of MSD can be measured in terms of difficulties connected with them, such as pain and reduced functioning (disability) related to the musculoskeletal system, or in terms of the cause, such as joint illness or trauma, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The static postures paired with vigorous, repetitive actions performed by dental hygienists and periodontists have been proven to put them at risk for neck, shoulder, and wrist pain. Due to their Prolonged Static Postures (PSP) and fewer repetitive motions while working, general practitioners are vulnerable to neck and low back MSD. According to other studies, Orthodontists suffer from low back pain due to the frequent forward placement of the head and bending of the low back during clinical operations. The study found that orthodontists, oral physicians, and general practitioners had the highest prevalence of MSD, and that the neck was the most commonly afflicted place regardless of qualification or speciality. This lack of MSD preference could be explained by the fact that in India, specialists perform broad practises in addition to their area of specialty.

MSD has an impact on practitioners' physical, psychological, and social well-being. This, in turn, has an effect on their productivity, lowering the practitioners' quality of life. MSD harmed the practitioners in the current study during a 12-month period, as seen by decreased job activity, leisure activity, proportion of sick days taken, medical consultations, and hospitalization. More than a third of the practitioners (40%) required sick leave. Regardless of the site of MSD, the majority of practitioners took 1-7 days off from work, which was consistent with prior studies.

To summarize, there is a high frequency of MSD among dental practitioners, which affects more than one-third of them on a daily basis. More research is needed to identify the particular risk factors for MSD so that appropriate remedial actions may be implemented.