The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the dental professions has been well established, and can have detrimental effects on the industry, including lower productivity and early retirement. There is increasing evidence that these problems commence during undergraduate training; however, there are still very few studies that investigate the prevalence of MSD or postural risk in these student groups. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MSD and conduct postural assessments of students studying oral health and dentistry. A previously validated self-reporting questionnaire measuring MSD prevalence, derived from the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire, was distributed to students. Posture assessments were also conducted using a validated Posture Assessment Instrument. MSD was highly prevalent in all student groups, with 85% reporting MSD in at least one body region. The neck and lower back were the most commonly reported. The final year dental students had the highest percentage with poor posture (68%), while the majority of students from other cohorts had acceptable posture. This study supports the increasing evidence that MSD could be developing in students, before the beginning of a professional career. The prevalence of poor posture further highlights the need to place further emphasis on ergonomic education.

The findings support previous studies that show that a similar left-to-right distribution exists in the population studied.

Overall, there is a high level of implant knowledge corresponding to current evidence in the literature. Level of CPD attendance is the most important factor in dentists' willingness to provide more implant therapy options.

Lack of interaction between smoking and any of the three position variables indicates that the destructive effects of smoking on the periodontal tissues maybe mainly from systemic side-effects and almost independent of the site position within the mouth, although some additional local effects may be present in areas such as anterior palatal sites.

Background: This article examines group creativity and diversity across healthcare and non-healthcare disciplines and how they can assist students in constructing their own understandings and knowledge of professionalism. Methods: A total of 30 students from different tertiary levels and across disciplines participated in the study. They explored either a gallery or museum and examined an artefact relating to professionalism. We evaluated whether and how students experienced this activity as enhancing their creativity and learnings of professionalism via survey results and thematic analyses of their reflective essays and semi-structured interviews. Results: Our findings showed that the group work increased students’ understandings of professionalism and their appreciation of the perspectives and skills of one another. The creative aspect of the task was fun and engaging, and group diversity enabled different opinions and perspectives to be heard and shared. This is analogous to a professional working environment. Themes generated from the essays were: (a) intrinsic motivation, (b) diversity, (c) learnings of professionalism, and (d) challenge encountered. Conclusions: The results of this research will make a meaningful contribution to existing literature by empirically demonstrating that students from different disciplines could better construct their own understandings of professionalism when their learning activities were performed in an authentically creative and diverse setting. This educational concept is underpinned by different types of creativities that are not mutually exclusive. It is hoped that this first piece of evidence will stimulate more studies on utilizing group creativity and diversity in healthcare education. Trial registration: Not applicable.