•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Objective: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common workplace hazards in dentistry resulting from poor ergonomics and static postures, which lead to back, neck, and upper limb (shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand) problems among dentists, resulting in harm to their health, productivity, and career. This study aimed to assess the frequency of MSDs, risk factors related to MSDs, and awareness of ergonomics among clinicians. Methods: Data were collected from 400 dental professionals, including house officers, postgraduate trainees, general dentists, and teachers/consultants, each with at least 12 months of practice. Data were collected using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire. Before data collection, ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Karachi Medical and Dental College (ESRC/KMDC/069/2023). Results: It was found that only 12.8% of respondents (n = 49, all postgraduate trainees) regularly adjusted their chairs to an ergonomic position. Maintaining posture for > 40 min (p = 0.025), uncomfortable stools (p = 0.034), repeated motions for more than two hours (p = 0.003), maintained non-neutral postures for > 2 h (p = 0.002), and repetitive wrist flexion or extension (p = 0.014) were all significant risk factors. Conclusion: There is a need to incorporate ergonomics and posturedontics into undergraduate and continuing education curricula to minimize the risk of developing MSDs and to support sustainable careers.

References

  1. Haas Y, Naser A, Haenel J, Fraeulin L, Holzgreve F, Erbe C, et al. Prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and associated conducted therapy approaches among dentists and dental assistants in Germany. PLoS One. 2020; 15(11):e0241564.
  2. Pope-Ford R, Pope-Ozimba J. Musculoskeletal disorders and emergent themes of psychosocial factors and their impact on health in dentistry. Work. 2020; 65(3):563–71.
  3. Soo SY, Ang WS, Chong CH, Tew IM, Yahya NA. Occupational ergonomics and related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists: A systematic review. Work. 2023; 74(2):469–76.
  4. Halkai KR, Halkai RS, Sulgante S, Sanadi RM, Ara SA, Zainab H, et al. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists and their prevention through ergonomic interventions-A systematic review. Int J Occup Saf Health. 2022; 12(2):125–39.
  5. Alanazi FG, Altuwaijri AM. Neck related problems and quality of life among technology users of faculty members at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología del Ejercicio y el Deporte. 2023; 18(6):634–40.
  6. Junila CC, Silaban G, Mahyuni EL. The influence of working posture on musculoskeletal disorders among dentists of public health in the deli serdang. Int J Health Educ Social. 2024; 7(6):1–2.
  7. Ali R, Abbas A. Exploring ergonomics risk management in early medical device development: A critical analysis. Cosmic J Biol. 2023; 2(1):353–7.
  8. Kashif M, Khan F, Naeem M. Need of dental occupational injury department in the dental outpatient department of government hospitals of karachi. Ann Abbasi Shaheed Hosp Karachi Med Dent Coll. 2017; 22(2):138–9.
  9. Kashif M, Kamran MA, Rizwan S, Iqbal S, Aslam A, Shifa S. Awareness of dental students about forensic odontology in Karachi, Pakistan. J Oral Health Oral Epidemiol. 2020; 9(3):149–55.
  10. Iqbal S, Ahmed S, Ali Z, Kashif M, Aslam A. Evaluation of records of oral and maxillofacial surgery cases reported at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Karachi Medical and Dental College, Pakistan. Int J Front Sci. 2020; 4(1):47–51.
  11. Kapitán M, Hodačová L, Čermáková E, Machač S, Schmidt J, Pilbauerová N. The development of musculoskeletal disorders during undergraduate dentistry studies—A long-term prospective study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(14):7662.
  12. Daltaban Ö, Hatipoğlu M, Tanase M, Pistol AM, Biriş CI, Djuric M, et al. Understanding the burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in dental students: A multinational cohort study. Eur J Dent Educ. 2025.
  13. Cope S, Willasey E, Dadnam D, Gartshore L. ‘Back to Basics’: A self-administered survey of undergraduate dentists' prevalence, impact and understanding of lower back pain. Eur J Dent Educ. 2025.
  14. Gopinadh A, Devi KN, Chiramana S, Manne P, Sampath A, Babu MS. Ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorder: as an occupational hazard in dentistry. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2013; 14(2):299–303.
  15. Kumar M, Pai KM, Vineetha R. Occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals. Med Pharm Rep. 2020; 93(4):405.
  16. Barsyte E, Bineviciute Z, Venskutonis T. Musculoskeletal disorders among lithuanian dentists and oral hygienists. J Oral Maxillofacial Res. 2025; 16(1):e5.
  17. Ohlendorf D, Naser A, Haas Y, Haenel J, Fraeulin L, Holzgreve F, et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists and dental students in Germany. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(23):8740.
  18. Gandolfi MG, Zamparini F, Spinelli A, Risi A, Prati C. Musculoskeletal disorders among Italian dentists and dental hygienists. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(5):2705.
  19. Lietz J, Kozak A, Nienhaus A. Prevalence and occupational risk factors of musculoskeletal diseases and pain among dental professionals in Western countries: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. PloS One. 2018; 13(12):e0208628.
  20. Divyashree Mohapatra DM. Ergonomic assessment for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) among dentists-an qualitative approach. 2024; 04(05):1737–43.
  21. Alshouibi EN, Almansour LA, Alqurashi AM, Alaqil FE. The effect of number of patients treated, dental loupes usage, stress, and exercise on musculoskeletal pain among dentists in Jeddah. J Int Soc Preventive Community Dent. 2020; 10(3):336–40.
  22. Wahhas WA, Ramadhan ZH, Ain TS, Togoo RA. Thumb radial abduction angle and its association with handgrip strength, dexterity and carpel tunnel syndrome susceptibility among saudi dental students. Niger J Clin Pract. 2021; 24(3):299–307.
  23. Benfaida S, Hachami I, Chafik R, Hamza M, Bennani A. Practice related to ergonomics: A Cross-sectional study among dentists practicing in the private sector. J Health Med Sci. 2025; 8(1): 24–32.
  24. Cuellar YR, Espinosa JR. Prevalence and symptomatology of musculoskeletal disorders in dentists with a focus on ergonomics and self-care. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología-Serie de Conferencias. 2024; 3:928.
  25. Hallak JC, Ferreira FD, de Oliveira CA, Pazos JM, Neves TD, Garcia PP. Transition between preclinical and clinical training: Perception of dental students regarding the adoption of ergonomic principles. PLoS One. 2023; 18(3):e0282718.
  26. Acipinar S, Aydin IS. Evaluation of dentistry faculty preclinical students’ approach to ergonomics and occupational diseases in dentistry. Med Bull Haseki. 2025; 63(2):8997.
  27. de Santana Sampaio Castilho AV, Michel Crosato E, de Carvalho Sales-Peres SH, Foratori Junior GA, de Freitas Aznar AR, Buchaim RL, et al. Effectiveness of ergonomic training to decrease awkward postures during dental scaling procedures: a randomized clinical trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(21):11217.
  28. Sweeney K. Ergonomic risks and prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in sonographers [Thesis]. University of Sydney: Sydney; 2024.
  29. Gupta M, Saini A, Dabas H, Ahluwalia R, Gupta N, Chugh T. Human factors engineering in dentistry. In Balaji DP, Kalayci PD, Ramkumar SS, editor. Advances in Sports Science and Technology, 1st Ed. CRC Press, London; 2025. pp. 812–9.
  30. Sakly EH, Cavalcanti AL, Nasr O. Difficulties of dental practice among left-handed Tunisian students: a cross-sectional survey. Braz Oral Res. 2023; 37:e032.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.