Insights about Dental Ergonomics among Dental Students: The Need of the Hour to Recommend Dental Ergonomics in Academic Curriculum

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: To assess the perception, practice, and attitude about dental ergonomics among dental students in Chennai. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out among 148 dental students in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, using a self-made validated closed-ended questionnaire. Results: Among 148 dental students, 75 (50.6%) were undergraduate and 73 (49.4%) were postgraduate students. Of the study population, 38 (25.67%) had listed their general health problems which they thought were related to their profession, 102 (68.5%) were aware of musculoskeletal disorders, 90 (60.4%) were aware of dental ergonomics, and 104 (69.8%) were not aware of dental ergonomics. Of the dental students, 55% practiced both sitting and standing dentistry, and 43% of them practiced sitting dentistry alone. Only 22.8% of the dental students practiced 4-handed dentistry and 38.3% of them, who did not practice 4-handed dentistry swiveled themselves to face the area. A total of 113 (75.8%) dental students suggest to include dental ergonomics in their academic curriculum and 94 (63.1%) wanted to practice workshops on dental ergonomics. Conclusions: A majority of the dental students in this present study were aware of musculoskeletal disorders and dental ergonomics, but only a considerable number of them practiced dental ergonomics. This study recommends the need for including dental ergonomics in the academic curriculum.