Oral Health and Dental Management

Musculoskeletal disorders among Lebanese dentists

12^th World Congress on Dentistry and Oral Health

August 04-05, 2016 Manchester, UK

Lamia Abi

Lebanese University, Lebanon

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

Objective: Dentists are exposed to musculoskeletal disorders, which are related to the work environments. The objective of this survey is to determine the prevalence of MSD among dentists in Lebanon. Materials & Methods: A questionnaire was distributed by the authors to the participants during the congress of the Lebanese Dental Association in September 2013. The recorded data was analyzed with SPSS 20. P-value<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: 219 dental practitioners participated in the study of which 92.7% suffered from MSD and 40% had a prevalence of at least one MSD symptom over the past 12 months. Most common areas affected by MSD in order of magnitude were low back (61.8%), neck (51.5%), shoulders (39.5), fingers (14.1%), wrist (11.8%), and elbow (8.6%). Neck pain was related to the working hours per day. Females had a higher frequency than males in the most area. Permanent pain is inversely proportional to the physical activity. Conclusions: High prevalence of MSD exists among our dental practitioners affecting the daily practice. Further studies are needed to identify the specific risk factors for MSD so as to introduce effective remedial measures.

Biography :

Lamia Abi is a BDS, DESS in Community Oral Health and Epidemiology. She is a Professor of Department of Dental Public Health at Lebanese University, Lebanon.

Email: lamiaabiaadlb@yahoo.fr