Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder Between Egyptian Pediatric Dentists and General Dentists: A Cross Sectional Study

Musculoskeletal disorders are caused by the accumulation of mechanical and various stresses on the body, such as repetitive work of specific body parts, uncomfortable and unnatural work postures, high work intensity, excessive force, insufficient rest, cold working environment, and frequency. It is defined as musculoskeletal complaints, musculoskeletal pain that reflect a number of conditions, such as neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, pain of limbs, carpal tunnel syndrome, myofacial dysfunction syndrome, atypical facial pain Although these musculoskeletal disorders can appear in all occupational groups, it is known that the incidence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms is higher in the dentist occupational group than in other occupational groups This is because dentists have to sit or stand for a long time and keep their head, neck, and shoulders in a fixed position for a long time.Bending motions, twisting motions, forward bent sitting postures, and relatively static working postures, which dentists mainly take during their treatment, are considered risk factors. According to a study on musculoskeletal disorders in Sharkia - low-back pain was the most prevalent musculoskeletal complaint that reported by (56.9%) of the subjects, followed by 50.4%, 47.2% and 42.3% complained of pain in the order of wrist, neck and shoulders Valachi and Valachi (2003) reported that approximately 81% of US dentists suffered from neck, shoulder and back pain Moreover, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of additional protective devices increases the mental stress, the risks of imbalanced postures and further reduces the freedom of movement.

Although there are many studies on musculoskeletal disorders in the dental profession, studies on pediatric dentistry are rare. In the case of pediatric dentists, the cooperation of young patients is insufficient, the treatment time is short, and they are exposed to various environments such as general anaesthesia . In addition, pediatric dental chairs do not fit children of all ages, which affects the attitude of dentists