Occupational cervico-brachial disorders among dentists. Psychosocial work environment, personal harmony and life-satisfaction

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to compare dentists with and without occupational cervico-brachial disorders with regard to some psychosocial variables (work environment, personal harmony and life-satisfaction) and professional position. The investigation is based on a questionnaire sent to 143 randomly selected official dentists in Malmöhus District and the Municipality of Malmö. Of these, 96 dentists had symptoms while 47 had not. Dentists with symptoms showed less satisfaction with their work environment than dentists without. Those with symptoms experienced their work load as being more unsatisfactory, were more burdened by anxiety, had poorer psychosomatic health and less confidence in the future than dentists without symptoms. These differences were significant between the groups. It was found that specialists, both with and without cervico-brachial symptoms, were more satisfied with their psychosocial work environment than general practitioners, especially regarding their personal control over their work and the stimulation of their work. The specialists also had more self-confidence and experienced less anxiety than general practitioners and head dentists.