Self-assessment of ergonomics amongst dental students utilising photography: RCT

Dental professionals are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to static working positions for extended periods of time. Musculoskeletal pain has been identified as early as during their entry-level dental education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether feedback involving photography and self-assessment would improve ergonomic scores and the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments amongst dental students.

The study involved a randomised control design of 135 dental students. At weeks 1 and 4, participants were photographed, and at weeks 1 through 4, participants completed ergonomic self-evaluations, using a Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI). During weeks 2 and 3, participants in the training group were photographed and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' pre-training and post-training photographs were evaluated for ergonomic scores by two raters.

A mixed-design ANOVA of ergonomic scores revealed that ergonomic scores improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,254)=17.41, P < .001). In addition, a mixed-design ANOVA of kappa coefficient values between student and rater scores revealed that the accuracy of self-assessments improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,127)=6.33, P < .05).

The use of photographs and self-assessment provides dental and dental hygiene educators with a pragmatic method to improve self-assessment skills, increase student awareness of any postural deviations from ideal and improve musculoskeletal health.