Musculoskeletal Disorders in Left- and Right-Handed Turkish Dental Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to find out the musculoskeletal disorders between left- and right-handed dentists and second, to describe the prevalence and distribution of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders among Turkish students who are practicing general dentistry. The investigation was carried out on 221 dental students; group I consisted of 24 left-handed students (18 male, 6 female), aged 24.2+/-2.24 years; group II comprised 24 right-handed students (14 male, 10 female), aged 25.1+/-3.14 years; and group III included 173 right-handed students (102 male, 71 female), aged 24.3+/-1.45 years. The study consists of a questionnaire to identify work tasks and working conditions, and a field study to assess the pain of the neck, shoulders, and other disorders during the dental practice. Data were analyzed through tests for the difference between two population proportion, percentage, and Chi-square. Left- and right-handed students had headaches (34%, 22%), pins and needles (35%, 22%), weakness (42%, 40%), numbness (23%, 19%), neck pain (67%, 43%), back pain (56%, 47%), upper limp pain (46%, 43%) and shoulder pain (78%, 58%), respectively (Table 3). Female students were not significantly different from males in musculoskeletal symptoms (p>.05). The position adopted by the student was significantly related to the intensity of pain. Left-handed students especially suffered from neck and shoulder pain when compared with right-handed students (p<.06). The authors think that a modification of work practices appears to be effective in decreasing the prevalence of symptoms. The best ergonomic working principles should be taught to the students, dental schools should provide a comfortable working environment, and further study is required to identify factors that will reduce the prevalence of symptoms among those practicing general dentistry.

Self-Reported Occupational Health Issues among Lithuanian Dentists

“…A few previous studies have shown that physical disorders may appear early in the dental career, particularly among students. In the USA, more than 70% of dental students of both sexes reported pain by their third year 18) . A study in Turkey shows a high prevalence of pain among dental male and female students: headache (34%, 22%), neck pain (67%, 43%), back pain (56%, 47%), upper limb pain (46%, 43%) and shoulder pain (78%, 58%) respectively 19) .…”

Left-Handed Students and Clinical Practice in Dentistry: Adaptations, Difficulties and Realities Experienced in the Academic Environment

“…Left-handed students presented a significantly higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms than right-handed students [14].…”

Prevalencia de Síntomas Asociados a Trastornos Musculoesqueléticos en Estudiantes de Odontología

“…Las zonas del cuerpo con mayor reporte de molestias en nuestra investigación resultaron también similares a todos los estudios de prevalencia citados (Rising et al;Tezel et al, 2005;Thorton et al, 2008;Melis et al, 2008;de Carvalho et al;Hayes et al, 2009b;Diaz-Caballero et al). Rising et al, reportó significativamente mayor dolor en espalda media en los hombres (p=0,015) y mayor dolor en cuello y hombro en las mujeres (p=0,004), mismos reportes que presentó nuestro estudio.…”