Introduction
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are increasingly becoming a nuisance for dental professionals. Nearly, 2 million workers across the world suffer from MSDs each year, with dentists facing an increased risk of developing these ailments.
This study is an attempt to assess the risk of MSDs among dental professionals, and eventually to spread awareness regarding the importance of good posture and proper ergonomics.
Objectives
To determine the presence of MSDs among Indian dentists.
Materials and methods
A research survey was conducted among dental professionals practicing in and around Maharashtra state, India. The questionnaire for the study included a series of questions, when coupled with the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) scale, allows one to assess his/her posture during work and eventually determines the need to improve the same. Two hundred dentists completed the questionnaire given.
Result
The study revealed a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among dental professionals.
Conclusion
A relation was observed between the severity of the pain experienced by the dentists and their REBA score indicating that dentists with a higher REBA score need to adapt their working postures and employ proper ergonomics.
How to cite this article
Bhagwat S, Hegde S, Mandke L. Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Indian Dentists: A Pilot Survey with Assessment by Rapid Entire Body Assessment. World J Dent 2015;6(1):39-44.
Background: Depression is a major public health problem but there is a huge treatment gap in India. Cultural beliefs influence conception of illness, personal meaning, help-seeking behaviors, and adherence to treatment. Research on explanatory models of depression attempt to explore these unique characteristics in an individual and the community. We set out to examine explanatory models of depression in a rural community of coastal Karnataka and explore the association between sociodemographic variables and explanatory models of depression. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey in the rural community of Harekala village, Mangaluru taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, was done using Kish tables. A total of 200 individuals were interviewed with an adaptation of the Short Explanatory Model Interview in a local language using a case vignette of depression. Results: Around 40% of the individuals perceived the problem as tension/stress/excessive worrying and did not perceive it as mental illness. A scant 10% of the participants recognized some mental illness. Around one-fifth of the individuals attributed the problem to evil spirits and black magic; female participants were more likely to endorse consulting a doctor (P = 0.003**) or a psychiatrist (P = 0.012*). In addition, participants belonging to Islam were less likely to consult a doctor (P = 0.028*) and psychiatrist (P = 0.021*). Also, participants belonging to lower social class were less likely to endorse psychiatric consultation (P = 0.018*) Conclusions: A vast majority of the study subjects failed to identify depression as an illness or acknowledge biomedical causation. Gender, religion, and socioeconomic class may influence help-seeking behavior.
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