Impact of Ergonomic Training on Posture Utilizing Photography and Self-assessments among Dental Hygiene Students and Practitioners

Purpose: Dental health care professionals are at high risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine the at-risk regions for developing musculoskeletal strain and evaluate the training effects of photography and self-assessment on the postures among dental hygiene students and clinical practitioners. Methods: This randomized control design study took place over a four-week period. A convenience sample of dental hygiene students (n=20) and registered dental hygienists (n=20) agreed to participate and were randomly assigned to training and control groups. All participants were photographed in the dental hygiene clinic completed ergonomic self-evaluations, using a Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI) during week one and four. Participants in the training group used photographs captured by the study investigators to complete ergonomic self-assessments during weeks two and three. Photographs from week one and four were evaluated by four calibrated raters using the M-DOPAI. Results: The top regions at-risk for musculoskeletal strain, identified by the raters, were the head and upper arms. Conversely, the top regions at-risk for musculoskeletal strain identified through the participants’ self-assessments were the head and trunk. A mixed-design ANOVA revealed that feedback with photography resulted in improved ergonomic scores. A mixed-design ANOVA of Kappa coefficient values between clinician and rater scores revealed the feedback with photography increased the accuracy of the ergonomic self-assessments. Conclusion: Training involving self-assessment utilizing photographs resulted in improvements in ergonomic scores and the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments after four weeks. Improved postures and reduced risks for musculoskeletal disorders may be sustained with periodic ergonomic self-assessments using photography.