Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck and Shoulder in the Dental Professions

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bruneau H ; Dussetschleger J ; Morse T
• Description:
  The prevalence of and risk factors for neck and shoulder disorders among dental practitioners (dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants) is reviewed. Dentists report 26-73% period prevalence of neck symptoms over the previous year, and 20-65% with shoulder symptoms. Dental hygienists report even higher rates, from 54-83% for neck and 35-76% for shoulder, and dental assistants in between (38-62% and 27-62% respectively). Symptoms begin to appear early in the career, with significant increases upon starting clinical practice. Significant social and economic consequences have been reported, including leaving the profession or reducing hours. While ergonomic improvements appear to have some positive impact, these have not been well studied, and some changes (such as the historic shift from standing to seated posture) may have moved risk from the lower back to the upper extremities. Static awkward posture, particularly those with isometric contractions of the trapezius, has been identified as a risk factor particular to these occupations. Ergonomic improvements, health promotion, and organizational interventions have been suggested as needs for reducing risk. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dental Offices Ergonomics Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Ergonomics Cumulative Trauma Disorders Dental Assistants Dental Hygienists Dentistry Dentists Health-care-personnel Hygienists Injuries Medical-personnel Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Neck-injuries Neck And Shoulder Disorders Posture Risk-analysis Risk Factors Skeletal-stress Work-analysis Worker-health

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• ISSN:
  1051-9815
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  419-429
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036816
• Citation:
  Work 2010 Apr; 35(4):419-429
• Contact Point Address:
  Department of Community Medicine and Ergonomic Technology Center (ErgoCenter), University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue-MC6210, Farmington, CT 06030-6210
• Email:
  TMorse@uchc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20000930
• Source Full Name:
  Work
• End Date:
  20060929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:44f90f83840b7d98d87ed0a964473a1c24719c37746617977c86b5185833f238506ee9eb2d7ab74a0796cf85ae8a46998dfeedfa25e0d0af3a4038d4e4d71bea
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188076/cdc_188076_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 76.91 KB ]