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Prevalence of upper extremity symptoms and disorders among dental and dental hygiene students
Robert A Werner1, Alfred Franzblau, Nancy Gell
1Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
Context:
Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders are common among dental professionals. The natural history of these disorders is not well-understood. These disorders are more common in older workers, but the prevalence among younger workers has not been well-studied.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to determine if dental/dental hygiene students had a similar prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders compared to age-matched clerical workers. We hypothesize students will have a lower prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders compared to clerical workers.
Design:
This was a cross-sectional design.
Setting:
Dental and dental hygiene students from three schools were compared to clerical workers from three locations (an insurance company and two data processing plants).
Subjects:
There were 343 dental and dental hygiene students and 164 age-matched clerical workers.
Main Outcome Measures:
Regional discomfort was the primary outcome. The secondary health outcomes were diagnoses of carpal tunnel syndrome and upper extremity tendinitis.
Results:
Clerical workers had a higher prevalence of hand symptoms (62 percent vs. 20 percent), elbow symptoms (34 percent vs. 6 percent) and shoulder/neck symptoms (48 percent vs. 16 percent) and a higher prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (2.5 percent vs. .6 percent) and upper extremity tendinitis (12 percent vs. 5 percent). The clerical workers were more obese, smoked more, exercised less frequently, and had lower educational levels and less control of their work environment.
Conclusions:
Dental and dental hygiene students have a very low prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders. A longitudinal study is necessary to evaluate ergonomic and personal risk factors.
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