Knowledge, Attitude and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain among the Dentists

Abstract

Objective: To investigate knowledge, attitude and prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among the dentists of tertiary care dental hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at AFID Rawalpindi from January 2020 to February 2020. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 250 dentists of tertiary care dental hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad working in different specialties through a self-administered questionnaire. Different variables like age, gender, specialty, working hours, work experience, posture and vision were included. The results were analysed on SPSS version 20. Results: The study showed 100% male and 90.9% female dentists having musculoskeletal disorders of all ages and specialties, regardless of the variables. The longer the working hours and work experience, the higher was the incidence of musculoskeletal pain. There is a high need to educate the dentists about the hazards of such disorders to prevent them, thereby ensuring longer and healthier careers. Conclusion: Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common problems in dentists; they should take the necessary steps in order to prevent them.

Keywords

• dentist, musculoskeletal, occupational hazard, pain.