Assessment of Individual and Occupational Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Disorders Using BPAI among Dentists in Qom, Iran

of the Study: Improper posture of dentists causes cumulative pressure on their body and ultimately leads to occupational injuries. Despite the existence of numerous studies performed on musculoskeletal pain, complaints around this disease are still widespread in the dentistry profession. This study was aimed at the precise identification of individual and occupational risk factors for musculoskeletal pain among dentists working in Qom, Iran, in 2018.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted on 51 dentists with at least one year of work experience. In this study, the occupational sitting activities were taken into account. In order to evaluate the ergonomics status of such activities, Branson’s Posture Assessment Instrument (BPAI) was used. The data were collected using a researcher-made demographic form and body map questionnaire. Statistical analysis of data was performed in SPSS software (Version 22) by Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Spearman’s correlation coefficient.

 Based on the results of the study, 84.3% (n=43) of the dentists had pain in at least one or more parts of their musculoskeletal system. The most commonly affected areas were the neck (72.7%) and shoulder (54.5%). In addition, 21.6% and 80.4% of postures were at acceptable and compromised levels, respectively. It was revealed that posture had a significant relationship with work experience and the amount of rest breaks (P<0.05). Based on the results of Spearman's correlation coefficient, the final BPAI score showed a significant relationship with the amount of rest breaks , number of training courses, and work experience (P<0.05).

Despite the implementation of preventive measures and utilization of new tool and equipment design processes, ergonomic disorders are prevalent in dental profession. Therefore, it is required to make reforms at various physical and systemic levels to improve the situation.