IADR Abstract Archives
Dentist; Your Body Is Whispering, Are You Listening?
Objectives: The dental profession is profoundly at a high-risk exposure to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). Several studies have unfold the occurrence of MSD pain among dental undergraduates that may exacerbate later in the future. Hence, this study was conducted to gain insights regarding MSD among Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dental undergraduates via self-reporting and subsequently, analyses of the task-related posture that might provoke MSD pain was performed by an occupational therapist.
Methods: A total of 154 clinical dental undergraduates from year three to year five participated in this cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Dentistry, UiTM Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. The perception of pain was assessed by utilisation of the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) while Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was assessed when dental extractions were performed by the subjects and demographic questionnaire were conducted to quantify the ergonomics risk factors.
Results: The high prevalence sites of pain included neck (68.2%), shoulders (47.4%), upper back (33.8%) and low back (37%). 81.2% complaint of musculoskeletal pain of at least one body site. 79.9% of dental undergraduates were at high risk levels of REBA score.
Conclusions: Ergonomics should be an outfit of a dentist. The injuries may take longer to appear, but the culmination of symptoms could be disastrous. Appreciating the early warning signs of MSD symptoms is crucial. As the old adage goes, “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won't have to hear it scream.” Further clinical studies are recommended to investigate the correlation of students’ MSD symptoms in relation to their clinical competency.
Methods: A total of 154 clinical dental undergraduates from year three to year five participated in this cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Dentistry, UiTM Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. The perception of pain was assessed by utilisation of the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) while Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was assessed when dental extractions were performed by the subjects and demographic questionnaire were conducted to quantify the ergonomics risk factors.
Results: The high prevalence sites of pain included neck (68.2%), shoulders (47.4%), upper back (33.8%) and low back (37%). 81.2% complaint of musculoskeletal pain of at least one body site. 79.9% of dental undergraduates were at high risk levels of REBA score.
Conclusions: Ergonomics should be an outfit of a dentist. The injuries may take longer to appear, but the culmination of symptoms could be disastrous. Appreciating the early warning signs of MSD symptoms is crucial. As the old adage goes, “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won't have to hear it scream.” Further clinical studies are recommended to investigate the correlation of students’ MSD symptoms in relation to their clinical competency.