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Compend. Oral Sci:vol1(5);2015;32-39

to reach specific regions within the mouth. The tendinitis, synovitis, tenosynovitis, and bursitis
action would have put inevitably increased load (14). It is well known that dental pocedures do

on the shoulder which later resulted in the pain require adequate vision exposure for a good
(17). In general, the high prevalence of visual of the targetted tooth strucutres which
muscular pain was very worrying as it often forced the dentists to be in awkward and
contributed to the development of MSDs in the static postures for a period of time (NIOSH).
future (18). For a comparison, computer Such occuptional hazard however caused
workers, who have a similar sedentary working muscular pain that may progress to MSDs, in
posture, have been found to have a comparable which can lead to long-term disability (20). It
prevalence of 65.7% with highest prevalence of was interesting that respondents who claimed
neck pain (19). Both professions seemed to were free from muscular pain, do practiced
involve sitting postures at work. Interestingly, dental ergonomic. Their practices however,
the high prevalence of muscular pain may be were limited to selection and positioning of
due to lack of awareness on ergonomics at dental instruments at workplace (table 1).
work (14) and therefore translated in poor Nevertheless, it seemed adequate to prevent
ergonomic practice. In the same view, NIOSH muscular pain. Possibly, the ergonomic
have addressed the issue and outlined the practiced did ease the static loading of the neck
prevention of MSDs among dentists is through and hinders awkward positions of the hands
dental ergonomics. which were some of the suggested dental
ergonomic put forwarded by NIOSH as
Gupta et al. (2013) highlighted that the aim of
prophylaxis to muscular pain and therefore
ergonomic is to find the best fit between
MSDs. Efforts to increase the attention and
workers and their working conditions. Since
awareness of MSDs in individuals within dental
MSDs are multifactorial, association between
profession was therefore appropriate (18).
some known factors were tested. Based on the
analysis of our results, there was no association
between age, nature of work and working hours
Conclusion
to muscular pain. Feng et al. (2014) however

found that age factor did contributed to Dentists are more vulnerable to occupational
muscular pain in which the older the individual, health hazards due to the need of the dental
the higher the prevalence of muscularskeletal profession itself compared to other health care
symptoms. On another note, the results of this giver. Among many, MSDs represented a major
study revealed that only maintenance of same occupational health issues for dentists
postures without microbreaks and performing worldwide and reports have revealed the
torsions or cervical flexions to improve vision of necessary need to create awareness of
the oral cavity during dental procedures ergonomics as effective measures for reducing
significantly (P<0.05) associated to muscular MSDs among dentists. In conclusion, the high
pain in the dentists. Prolonged posture without prevalence of muscular pain among dentist in
microbreaks with no ergonomic intervention and UiTM indirectly reflected the lack of dental
with times, may caused pathologies such as ergonomic awareness. The maintenance of
static posture and performing torsions or

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