Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jan 16;7(2):e29631.
doi: 10.5812/asjsm.29631. eCollection 2016 Jun.

Prevalence of Common Postural Disorders Among Academic Dental Staff

Leila Vakili  1 , Farzin Halabchi  2 , Mohammad Ali Mansournia  3 , Mohammad Reza Khami  4 , Shahla Irandoost  4 , Zahra Alizadeh  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Common Postural Disorders Among Academic Dental Staff

Leila Vakili et al. Asian J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are common problems among dentists. These conditions may lead to inappropriate postures and impairment in physical and psychological function. On the other hand, poor postures and inappropriate ergonomic may result in a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of common postural disorders of the spine and shoulder girdle among the dentists and possible correlations between demographic, anthropometric and occupational characteristics with these abnormal postures.

Patients and methods: In a cross-sectional study, 96 dental staff including academic staff, residents and senior students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences was enrolled. Data were collected using a questionnaire and posture assessment tools such as plumb-line, checkerboard and flexible ruler. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 17.

Results: The prevalence of the forward head posture (FHP), rounded shoulder posture (RSP), scoliosis and hyperlordosis were reported in 85.5%, 68.8%, 18.8% and 17.3% of the participants, respectively. A significant correlation was found between gender and FHP (P = 0.04) and also scoliosis (P = 0.009). On the other hand, a significant correlation was seen between weight and hyperlordosis (P = 0.007).

Conclusions: Our study revealed a high prevalence of postural disorders especially FHP, RSP and scoliosis among Iranian dental staff. The female dentists were less susceptible to FHP and scoliosis.

Keywords: Dentists; Forward Head Posture; Hyperlordosis; Iran; Kyphosis; Musculoskeletal Disorders; Rounded Shoulder; Scoliosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Prevalence of Common Postural Abnormalities in Dentists
Abbreviations: FHP, forward head posture; RSP, rounded shoulder posture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Valachi B, Valachi K. Preventing musculoskeletal disorders in clinical dentistry: strategies to address the mechanisms leading to musculoskeletal disorders. J Am Dent Assoc. 2003;134(12):1604–12. - PubMed
    1. Graham C. Ergonomics in dentistry, Part 1. Dent Today. 2002;21(4):98–103. - PubMed
    1. Hayes M, Cockrell D, Smith DR. A systematic review of musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals. Int J Dent Hyg. 2009;7(3):159–65. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2009.00395.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rabiei M, Shakiba M, Dehghan H, Talebzadeh M. Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dentists. Int J Occupat Hygin. 2012;4(1):36–40.
    1. Memarpour M, Badakhsh S, Khosroshahi SS, Vossoughi M. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Iranian dentists. Work. 2013;45(4):465–74. doi: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1468. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources