• Meysam Eyvazlou, Arya Asghari, Hamidreza Mokarami, Majid Bagheri Hosseinabadi, Milad Derakhshan Jazari, and Vahid Gharibi.
• Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
• Work. 2021 Jan 1; 68 (4): 1239-1248.

BackgroundWork-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are major challenges in the occupational health services industry. Dental practitioners are regularly subjected to ergonomic risks, which can cause Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in various body regions.ObjectiveThis comparative cross-sectional study aimed to investigate MSDs and select a proper ergonomic risk assessment method in dental practice.MethodsThis study was conducted on 70 dentists and 70 administrative staff of dental offices (comparison group) from Shahroud, Iran. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) and two observational ergonomic risk assessment methods, including Quick Exposure Check (QEC) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), were utilized.ResultsThe results suggested that the mean score of musculoskeletal discomforts was significantly higher in dentists than in the administrative personnel. Additionally, the results of multiple regression analysis technique inferred that job tenure, working hours, and age had a significant impact on total MSDs. Regular exercise was found to significantly reduce neck discomfort complaints. It was also found that QEC was more effective in predicting musculoskeletal discomforts compared to REBA.ConclusionConsidering the high incidence of WMSDs in dentists, various interventional measures revolving around ergonomically redesigned workstations, enhanced physical working conditions, and ergonomic training courses are suggested.

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