Ergonomic risks and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dental surgeons in Nigeria: A descriptive survey

Aim: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among dentists in Nigeria, where it is underreported, and to correlate these MSDs with occupational and stress-related ergonomic challenges. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted among randomly selected dentists in Nigeria. A modification of the validated Nordic questionnaire was utilized to determine the prevalence of MSDs. Paired t-tests and analysis of variance tests were used to determine statistical differences between numerical variables. The logistic regression analysis was used to confirm significant effect of predictor variables on work-related MSDs (WMSDs). Difference at the 5% level was accepted as significant. Results: Most of the participants were males (58.8%), aged between 26 and 30 years (37.2%), had <5 years of experience (38.2%), and worked an average of 31-40 min for each patient. Eighty-eight participants (44.2%) had WMSDs within 7 days, whereas 126 (63.3%) had in the preceding year. Within a 12-month period, however, neck pain was the commonest complaint (22.2%), followed by lower back (20.6%) and upper back pain (18.3%). The linear regression analysis showed that age of participants: >40 years [Exp beta: 1.003; confidence interval (CI): 0.848-1.187; P = 0.020], body mass index: obese (Exp beta: 1.079; CI: 0.733-1.589; P = 0.027), average time spent on each patient: >50 min (Exp beta: 0.903; CI: 0.313-2.609; P = 0.049), having dental nurses in the clinic: >10 (Exp beta: 0.959; CI: 0.410-2.243; P = 0.000), and a high level of environmental stress (Exp beta: 1.092; CI: 0.862-1.384; P = 0.029) were significantly associated with MSDs. Conclusion: Our study showed that dentists who were older than 40 years, those who were obese, those who spent an average of 50 min on each patient, and those who had few dental nurses in the clinic and had a high level of environmental stress had a significantly higher prevalence of MSDs. Modifiable chairs, correct sitting postures by the dental surgeon and the patient, adequate lighting, use of indirect vision, use of magnification loupes, and sufficient rest and breaks at work could help to ameliorate these conditions.