Ergonomic assessment of body posture during work using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment method and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in dental students

The incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in the dental profession is high due to long-term repetitive movements and some inappropriate ergonomic working conditions. Therefore، it is important to identify inappropriate positions and risk factors in dental practitioners. The aim of this study was to evaluate ergonomic body posture during work using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method in dental students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The subjects in this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study were randomly selected from dental students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and consisted of 70 students (34 females and 36 males). To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders Nordic questionnaire was used. To assess students status during work using REBA method the researcher directly observed the students for 20 to 30 minutes and data was recorded. Data was reported as percentages of relative frequencies and the means and analyzed with SPSS using chi-squared test. Mann-Whitney test was used for the comparison of REBA mean scores separately for genders. The most common musculoskeletal disorders in students were related to the shoulder the lower back with 41. 2% and 31. 7%، respectively. The mean REBA scores on the left and right sides were 5. 13 and 5. 01، respectively. Body posture was at the moderate and high risk levels in 90% and 10% of the students، respectively. Students’ posture during surgery was at a high risk level. There were no significant differences between REBA scores of male and female students (p value = 0. 239). Based on the results of the present study، considering the moderate and high risk levels of subjects، the students need ergonomic intervention to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.