Effects of improper postures on the health of dental professionals
Keywords:
ENFERMEDADES MUSCULOESQUELÉTICAS; ERGONOMÍA; ESTUDIANTES DE ODONTOLOGÍA; SALUD LABORAL., MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES; ERGONOMICS; STUDENTS, DENTAL; OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH., DOENÇAS MUSCULOESQUELÉTICAS; ERGONOMIA; ESTUDANTES DE ODONTOLOGIA; SAÚDE OCUPACIONAL.Abstract
Introduction: musculoskeletal disorders represent a growing problem in dental practice, where the adoption of inadequate postures during clinical care compromises the health and performance of both students and professionals.
Objective: to determine musculoskeletal symptoms associated with poor ergonomics in dentistry students during clinical practice.
Methods: an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted at the Universidad Regional Autónoma de los Andes in 2024. The population included students from the seventh to tenth semesters of the Dentistry program, with a probabilistic, simple random sample of 186 participants. The Nordic Kuorinka questionnaire, validated for the detection of musculoskeletal discomfort, was applied. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data obtained, while adhering to bioethical principles.
Results: 80,6 % of students reported neck discomfort, 81,2 % reported pain in the dorsal or lumbar region, and 65,6 % in the shoulders. Additionally, 68,8 % reported pain in the wrists or hands, and 50,5 % in the elbows or forearms. Most pain episodes lasted less than one hour and occurred between 1–7 days in the past six months. Furthermore, 35,5 % identified the rehabilitation course as the main source of academic stress.
Conclusions: the findings reveal a high prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort linked to incorrect postures in dental clinics. The need to implement ergonomics programs and preventive education is emphasized, in order to promote physical health and long-term professional performance.
Downloads
References
1. Gómez García KF, Jiménez Del Valle J. Impacto de la mala ergonomía en la práctica clínica odontológica.Rev Mex Estomatol [Internet]. 2017 [citado 20/03/2023]; 4. Disponible en: https://www.remexesto.com/index.php/remexesto/rt/printerFriendly/152/275
2. Llerena Jinez KA. Relación entre riesgo ergonómico y síntomas músculo [Tesis]; 2020 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://dspace.uniandes.edu.ec/handle/123456789/11603
3. Cóndor Panchi FX. Evaluación del grado de conocimiento de ergonomía en los alumnos de séptimo, octavo, noveno y décimo en la unidad de atención odontológica [Tesis]; 2021 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://dspace.uniandes.edu.ec/handle/123456789/13234
4. Morales Sánchez JL. Relación entre ergonomía y trastornos músculo esqueléticos en el área de fabricación de jeans, caso del consorcio Jeans Ramos Llerena [Tesis]; 2021 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://dspace.uniandes.edu.ec/handle/123456789/12919
5. Carrasco Castro M. Ergonomía y calidad laboral [Tesis]. Guayaquil; 2016 Sep [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: www.seso.org.ec
6. Martínez SE, Romero HJ, Encina Tutuy J, Barrios CE. Ergonomía: una ciencia que aporta al bienestar odontológico [tesis]; 2015 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://repositorio.unne.edu.ar/handle/123456789/1679
7. De los Santos AR. Restricción al movimiento espinal [Tesis]; 2021[citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://anm.edu.ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Consenso-Restriccion-Mov-Espinal.pdf
8. Haskin D. ATLS: apoyo vital avanzado en trauma [Tesis]; 2018 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://enarm.com.mx/catalogo/3.pdf
9. Vega del Barrio JM. Ergonomía y odontología [Tesis]. Madrid; 2010 Apr [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/11822/1/ERGONOM%C3%8DA.pdf
10. Martínez MM. Validación del cuestionario nórdico estandarizado de síntomas musculoesqueléticos para la población trabajadora chilena, adicionando una escala de dolor [Tesis]; 2017 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/152284
11. Romero JH, Barrionuevo ME. Ergonomía, una ciencia que aporta al bienestar odontológico [Tesis]; 2017 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://bdigital.uncu.edu.ar/objetos_digitales/11277/romerorfo-1112017.pdf
12. Tamayo Amores BE. Determinación de trastornos músculo esqueléticos asociados a riesgos ergonómicos en los trabajadores del Hospital Cantonal de Girón [Tesis]. Cuenca; 2018 [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://dspace.uazuay.edu.ec/handle/datos/7976
13. Gaitán González LC. Aplicación del cuestionario nórdico de Kuorinka a estudiantes y docentes odontólogos del área clínica y administrativa para identificar sintomatología dolorosa asociada a desórdenes musculoesqueléticos [Tesis]. Bogotá; 2018 Jun [citado 20/03/2023]. Disponible en: https://repositorio.unbosque.edu.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.12495/8446/Morales_Baquero_Maria_Alejandra_2020.pdf
14. Alejandro J, Casallas M, Maldonado Álvarez E, Sepúlveda R, Camila M. Ergonomía odontológica: evaluación de conocimientos y prácticas de ergonomía antes y después de la implementación de una aplicación móvil en estudiantes de odontología de la Universidad Santo Tomás, Bucaramanga [Internet];2024 [citado 20/03/2023].Disponible en: https://bibliotecadigital.oducal.com/Record/ir-11634-23037/Details?sid=182497
15. Lyhne CN, Nielsen CV, Kristiansen ST, Bjerrum MB. ‘Work is a motivator in life’ Strategies in managing work participation among highly educated employees with depression. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation[Internet].2021[citado 20/03/2023]; 69(3): 1063-1073. Disponible en:https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-213536
16. Mulimani P, Hoe VCW, Hayes MJ, Idiculla JJ, Abas ABL, Karanth L. Ergonomic interventions for preventing musculoskeletal disorders in dental care practitioners. Cochrane Database Syst Rev [Internet]. 2018 [citado 20/03/2023];12. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011261.pub2
17. Plata A, Ramírez S, Elías C, Luna R. Método de superficie de respuesta para optimizar las condiciones de producción de ácido láctico a partir de subproductos lácteos. NOVA [Internet]. 2012; 10(8): 135-250. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?pid=S1794-24702012000200003&script=sci_arttext
18. Cisterna Cid F. Ergonomía en el sistema de atención odontológica en servicio de urgencia de clínica dental universitaria. Erg Investig [Internet]. 2019 [citado 20/03/2023];1(2):9–29. Disponible en: https://revistas.udec.cl/index.php/Ergonomia_Investigacion/article/download/1270/1919/2297
19. Laguerre J. La tendinitis laboral: riesgos ergonómicos en odontología. Rev San Gregorio [Internet]. 2019 Dec 29 [citado 20/03/2023];1(35). Disponible en: https://revistasangregorio.edu.ec/index.php/Revista_San_Gregorio/article/view/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Doménica Alexandra Vaca Velasteguí
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who have publications with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors will retain their copyrights and grant the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC 4.0) that allows third parties to share the work as long as its author and first publication in this journal are indicated.
Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements for distribution of the published version of the work (e.g.: deposit it in an institutional telematic archive or publish it in a volume). Likewise, and according to the recommendations of the Medical Sciences Editorial (ECIMED), authors must declare in each article their contribution according to the CRediT taxonomy (contributor roles). This taxonomy includes 14 roles, which can be used to represent the tasks typically performed by contributors in scientific academic production. It should be consulted in monograph) whenever initial publication in this journal is indicated. Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work through the Internet (e.g., in institutional telematic archives or on their web page) before and during the submission process, which may produce interesting exchanges and increase citations of the published work. (See The effect of open access). https://casrai.org/credit/
