An evaluation of the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists of the department of dentistry, Charles University, Faculty of medicine in Hradec Králové, and University hospital Hradec Králové - a pilot study
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are diseases of the locomotive apparatus, affecting muscles, joins, tendons and nerves. Dentistry is a profession with a higher occurrence of MSDs.
There are several methods for objective examination of musculoskeletal apparatus. One of the non-invasive methods is recording the spine mobility and shape by SpinalMouse(R) device without requiring ionizing radiation.
The aim of this study was to determinate a potential correlation between subjective declaration of MSDs and results of the objective examination of the spine in a group of dental practitioners. The study was carried out among 23 dentists.
Each participant filled out a questionnaire focused on the subjective complaints in the musculoskeletal system and potential risk factors. All of them were examined with SpinalMouse(R) device.
Furthermore, the Matthiass test was performed to examine the neuromuscular stabilization of the spine. Out of 23 dentists, 78.3% declared various intensity of pain in different parts of the body.
None of the followed factors, i.e. age, gender, body height and weight, duration of the clinical practice, presence of systemic diseases, dominant hand, and individual sports activities, revealed any statistically significant influence on the occurrence and severity of MSDs. On the other hand, some of the objective factors, such as lumbar lordosis angle, sacral inclination and T/L ratio, showed significant influence on MSDs.
The results of this study confirmed a high prevalence of MSDs among dentists and proved a statistically significant correlation between the intensity of subjective complaints and some objective factors.