Frequency of musculoskeletal disorders in Yazd dental laboratory workers at 2019

Kouchakzadeh A; Mehrparvar AH; Hatami M

doi:10.18502/tkj.v15i4.14588

Kouchakzadeh A Department of Endodontics, School of Dentistry, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, zahedan, Iran
Mehrparvar AH Industrial Diseases Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Hatami M Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tkj.v15i4.14588

Keywords: Musculoskeletal disorders, Nordic questionnaire, Dental laboratory workers

Abstract

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are among the main causes of discomfort and disability in dental laboratory workers and are increasing due to the type of occupational tasks of the employees. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the staff of dental laboratories in Yazd.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 37 dental technicians. The Nordic questionnaire was used to collect data on musculoskeletal discomfort. The data was analyzed by SPSS (Ver. 20) using descriptive statistics.

Results: The highest frequency of discomfort in the last 12 months was in the lumbar region (43.2%), neck (29.7%), and wrists and hands (21.6%). The highest frequency of musculoskeletal disorders in the last 12 months was in the lumbar region (24.3%), neck (16.2%), back, buttocks and thighs (10.8%). Musculoskeletal disorders in the lumbar (21.6%) and shoulder region (24.3%) were the most common causes of absence from work and job change, respectively.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed a high frequency of musculoskeletal disorders in dental laboratory workers, and a high frequency of job change and absence from the workplace due to these disorders.