Aims and Objectives: To assess the perception, practice, and attitude about dental ergonomics among dental students in Chennai.
Materials and Methods:The study was carried out among 148 dental students in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, using a selfmade validated closed-ended questionnaire.Results: Among 148 dental students, 75 (50.6%) were undergraduate and 73 (49.4%) were postgraduate students. Of the study population, 38 (25.67%) had listed their general health problems which they thought were related to their profession, 102 (68.5%) were aware of musculoskeletal disorders, 90 (60.4%) were aware of dental ergonomics, and 104 (69.8%) were not aware of dental ergonomics. Of the dental students, 55% practiced both sitting and standing dentistry, and 43% of them practiced sitting dentistry alone. Only 22.8% of the dental students practiced 4-handed dentistry and 38.3% of them, who did not practice 4-handed dentistry swiveled themselves to face the area. A total of 113 (75.8%) dental students suggest to include dental ergonomics in their academic curriculum and 94 (63.1%) wanted to practice workshops on dental ergonomics.
Conclusions:A majority of the dental students in this present study were aware of musculoskeletal disorders and dental ergonomics, but only a considerable number of them practiced dental ergonomics. This study recommends the need for including dental ergonomics in the academic curriculum.
A published pilot study showed the feasibility of integrating ethics into physiology in a single medical college. However, questions were raised about feasibility of scale-up and acceptance across different colleges. To assess feasibility of integrating ethics into Physiology, first year MBBS students of three medical colleges (n=449, College A=149; 59M, 90F; College B=150; 78M, 72F; College C=150; 48M, 102F) were exposed to the integrated ethics programme. Triggers related to theory or practicals were included. Faculty volunteers conducted the sessions with feedback from observers and students. Students across three colleges felt that the programme was relevant (92%-98%), effectively integrated (86%-98%) [significantly greater number of College A students: (p=0.003)], seldom interfered with physiology teaching (59%-66%). Greater number of students from College C followed by College B and A opined to continue the integrated programme for future years (p=0.004). A scale-up study of integration of ethics programme across different colleges was perceived to be feasible by students and observers.
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