Prevalence of low back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome among dental practitioners in Dakshina Kannada and Coorg District.

CONTEXT

Dental practitioners who usually have to work for long durations in a particular fixed posture are more prone to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), particularly those involving the hand and wrist and also of the lower back.

AIMS

To study the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and low back pain (LBP) among dental practitioners and to correlate the symptoms with the duration of practice.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A closed-end questionnaire was distributed to 100 dental practitioners from Dakshina Kannada and Coorg districts of Karnataka, India.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Analyses were carried out using Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

The study found that 86% of the total population of dentists practicing for more than 5 years showed symptoms of CTS and 54.0% experienced LBP.

CONCLUSION

Symptoms of MSDs related to hands, wrists, and low back is widely prevalent among the dentists, which severely impact their work efficiency. Precautionary measures early in the clinical practice such as proper ergonomics in the operating field and few strengthening exercises as described in this study can reduce the onset and progression of the symptoms.