Evaluation of foot pressure distribution on dental foot pedals

Aim. An evaluation of foot pressure distribution during the operation of four dental foot pedal controllers each with its own working principle, the universal pedal controller (A-dec), combined sliding pedal controller (KaVo), pedal controller (Sirona) and sliding wheel controller (XO CARE) was carried out. Material and methods. A total of 63 subjects (31 female and 32 male) participated in this study. The in-shoe measuring system from medilogic (Schonefeld, Germany) was used to record the pressure distribution of the working and the supporting leg during the operation of the foot controllers. The foot pressure distribution of both feet was measured while regulating the speed. For the statistical evaluation of the maximum and average pressures of the six zones of the foot the Friedman test and a Bonferroni-Holm correction were used. Having finished the test, the subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire to score the operating principles of each foot pedal. Results. There were significant differences among the medium and maximum pressure values of the working and supporting leg. The foot pressure (among the six measured zones) was determined relatively by the operating principles of the foot pedals. The highest pressure values occurred on the heel using a foot controller which has the pedal function. Regarding the rating of the working principles of the foot controllers (1 best 4 worst), the sliding wheel controller ranked best followed by the combined sliding pedal controller, the universal pedal controller and the pedal controller. Conclusion. There was an increased pressure load on the flexion and extension movement of the working leg when operating the universal pedal controller, the pedal controller and the combined sliding pedal controller. In turn, the universal pedal controller and the pedal controller caused a reduction of the load on the supporting leg by muscular compensation functions in terms of shifting the weight. Thus, accustomed working sequences have a negative impact on the movement system and should therefore be included in a manual therapeutic examination and therapy.