Musculoskeletal Pain Among Dentists in Peshawar, Pakistan

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders occurring in dentists practicing at dental hospitals in Peshawar and to correlate with working posture, number of hours of work and gap in work between patients. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the dental faculties of two dental institutions of Peshawar, Pakistan. Data regarding the number of hours of practice, number of patients treated per day, breaks between patients, neck ache, backache and pain in fingers and working posture was recorded using a self administrated questionnaire. Results: Eighty seven dentists completed the questionnaire with a mean age of 36 years. 55% of dentists experienced back pain, 40% experienced neck pain while approximately 32% of dentists had pain in their hands. Working posture was not found to be related to musculoskeletal pain. Backache was related to the number of patients treated each day and break between treating patients, wile neck ache was related to the number of years in the profession. Conclusion: Musculoskeletal pain in the dentists is related to the number of years in the profession and number of patients treated each day. The posture of the dentists is not related to musculoskeletal pain in dental practitioners.