Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Related Risk Factors among General Dentists in Sari in 2019

Dentistry has many traumatic factors, such as poor workplace posture. These factors result in a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among dentists. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MSDs and its associated risk factors among general dentists in Sari. 

A total of 90 dentists were assessed by the standardized Nordic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 24), Chi-square test, and multivariate regression models. A ρ-value <0.05 was statistically significant. 

Among all participants, 64.4% were male, 35.6% were female and 75.6% had MSDs. The most common areas of discomfort were neck (43.3%), shoulders (40.0%), upper back (24.4%), lower back (22.2%), and the wrist (17.7%). In addition, 38.8% and 12.2% had moderate and severe pain, respectively. No statistically significant relationship was found between any of the studied risk factors for MSD (p-value> 0.05).

In the present study, neck and shoulder pain were highly prevalent among dentists. It seems that improving posture at the workplace and the role of physiotherapists in providing precise ergonomic guidelines as well as a punctual performance by dentists to maintain health and well-being is crucial.