Occupational Hazards Among Western Indian Private Dental Practitioners: A Questionnaire-Based Descriptive Study

Introduction: Occupational hazards among oral health care providers are becoming a major problem. Aims: To assess various occupational hazards and assess the musculoskeletal problems and their association with the work pattern. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based descriptive study was conducted among 525 private dental practitioners of Jodhpur city. Self-administered questionnaire was distributed and obtained immediately after the participants filled it. The data collected were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) version 18 software. Chi-square test was used to find the association. Results: Among the study group of 525 dentists, 300 were males and 225 females. Sitting dentistry was practiced by 61.7% and only 18.8% practiced standing dentistry. Dentists suffering from back pain were 40.7% whereas only 4.1% of dentists had shoulder pain. A highly significant correlation was observed between posture of dentists and musculoskeletal problems (P = 0.001). When chi-square test was used to assess the correlation among years of working experience and musculoskeletal problems, a significant relation was observed (P = 0.000). Conclusion: Almost all the private dental practitioners were suffering from the occupational hazards. Back problems were common. Regular training and workshops can help lower such problems.