Acceptance of a lying position for dental treatment

This study aimed to evaluate patient acceptance of the lying position during dental care. Dentists are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which can affect both their professional and personal lives. The care of patients in a totally supine position appears to be an effective and simple method for limiting the development of MSDs. Nonetheless, it is important to assess and investigate the patient's propensity to modify their posture on the dental chair.

The study included 104 participants aged 18-26 years, randomly divided into two groups of 52. Each participant underwent two chair position tests: eyes open then closed for group 1; eyes closed then open for group 2. Using a Spaceline EMCIA (Morita, Japan) dental chair, participants were asked to stop the recline at their personal comfort limit.

More than 90% of participants stopped the recline before reaching the fully horizontal position. Both groups preferred to select their stop position with eyes open. Around 79% found the lying position less comfortable than their chosen stop position. However, 85.6% found the lying position acceptable when placing themselves into it.

The lying position is better accepted when the patient independently settles into it.