A Biomechanical Analysis of Applied Pinch Force During Periodontal Scaling

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dong H ; Rempel D ; Villanueva A
• Description:
  One of the factors associated with the high prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, among dental practitioners is the repeated high pinch force applied during periodontal scaling. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between the pinch force applied during periodontal scaling and the forces generated at the tip of the tool. A linear biomechanical model that incorporated tool reaction forces and a calculated safety margin was created to predict the pinch force applied by experienced and inexperienced dentists during periodontal scaling. Six dentists and six dental students used an instrumented scaling tool while performing periodontal scaling on patients. Thumb pinch force was measured by a pressure sensor, while the forces developed at the instrument tip were measured by a six-axis load cell. A biomechanical model was used to calculate a safety factor and to predict the applied pinch force. For experienced dentists, the model was moderately successful in predicting pinch force (R2 = 0.59). For inexperienced dentists, the model failed to predict peak pinch force (R2 = 0.01). The mean safety margin was higher for inexperienced (4.88+/-1.58) than experienced (3.35+/-0.55) dentists, suggesting that students apply excessive force during scaling. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Cumulative Trauma Disorders Dental Offices Engineering Environmental Monitoring Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Pinch Force Biological-effects Biological-function Biomechanical-engineering Biomechanical-modeling Biomechanics Cell-biology Cellular-reactions Cumulative-trauma Cumulative-trauma-disorders Dental Dentistry Dentists Design Engineering-controls Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Grip Force Hand-injuries Hand-tools Injury-prevention Mathematical-models Mechanics Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Neurological-reactions Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Physiological-effects Physiological-factors Physiological-function Physiological-measurements Physiological-response Posture Quantitative-analysis Repetitive-work Risk-analysis Risk-factors Tool Training Work-environment Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0021-9290
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  40
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037291
• Citation:
  J Biomech 2007 Oct; 40(9):1910-1915
• Contact Point Address:
  David Rempel, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 1301 South 46th Street, Bldg 163, Richmond, CA 94804
• Email:
  david.rempel@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Biomechanics
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:767d22c4616db0a3d7bc4984ddc87f6656cee07517f799cb73db7213329403b8cbf2e535e8965f528d091f913addc05defeb24da8d31145619990e577d41a704
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188407/cdc_188407_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 312.01 KB ]