Evaluation of occupational musculoskeletal disorders and related risk factors among dentists working in North East India

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in a working population are very common, occurring predominantly in the low back, neck, and upper limbs. Dentistry is one of the high-risk professions for developing MSD, because of high visual and skill demanding works resulting in prolonged static, as well as uncomfortable postures. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the occupational MSDs and related risk factors among dentists working in North East India. Subjects and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, specially designed questionnaires were distributed among 200 randomly selected dental practitioners with a work experience of more than 24 months. Results: According to this study, 70.5% of the surveyed dental practitioners have single or multiple symptoms of MSD, especially in the lower back (48%) and neck (24%). Eighty percent of them work with an assistant and 61.5% treats more than five patients/day, 9% worked without any break, 46% takes break once a day and 28% twice a day, 54.5% does regularly exercise , 4% uses loupes and only 5% had proper training in ergonomics. There was a significant correlation between MSDs and gender ( P = 0.029) and number of patient treated per day ( P = 0.001). Conclusion: The symptoms of MSDs increase with the number of years of practice and number of patient treated per day and are more common among female.