Risk Factors for the Development of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dental Work

Background: The prevalence of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) among dental professionals is high and may interfere with individuals' functional capacity of both from a physical and emotional standpoint.

Aim: To review the literature regarding the work-related risk factors that may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal symptoms in dental professionals.

Methods: The literature review was carried out in Science Direct, SCIELO, Pub Med, LILACS and MEDLINE databases from 2002 to 2015. The research was on work-related musculoskeletal disorders in dentistry, specifically risk factors. The main keywords used were "work-related musculoskeletal symptoms in Dentistry", "Ergonomics in Dentistry", "risk factors," "musculoskeletal symptoms" and "Dentistry".

Results: Fifty three manuscripts were collected and were included only articles available in its entirety, in English, focused on students and dental professionals (n=26). The most frequently reported factors were static posture, repetitive movements, inclination and rotation of the head, neck and trunk, presence of psychological factors, use of muscle strength, pinch-grip force, excessive force to arrest, long time in a seated position, without breaks and incorrect positioning of the patient in dental chair.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that the development of musculoskeletal disorders in Dentistry has multifactorial cause and the main risk sources are related to biomechanical, environmental/external and organizational factors.