THE IMPACT OF DENTAL ERGONOMIC KNOWLEDGE IN MEDICAL PRACTICE

Dental ergonomics are part of the curriculum of national dental faculties in Romania for decades. The aim of the courses is to accustom students to the principles of dental ergonomics and help them to acquire practical ergonomic skills before performing clinical procedures. Emphasis is put on this subject early in the training of dental students, many disregard these aspects becoming vulnerable to occupational risks.Neck inclination/rotation, forward bending with loss of cervical and lumbar lordosis and raised arms working in prolonged static isometric/eccentric contraction represent the main risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).In order to obtain the most comprehensive statistics, we have designed three questionnaires. The distribution of these questionnaires was done both physically and online for a period of 2 months (August-September 2024).The student respondent group gathered 42 responses, all female participants, separated in two large age groups (18-24 and 25-40), studying dental medicine at the "Titu Maiorescu" University (87.5%) or at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (12.5%). A large number of them (62.5%) were working in the medical field during this study.This leaves us with an estimate of 1 out of 5 residents still not using ergonomic techniques and still suffering painful episodes, while the number of practicing dentists with MSDs is approximately 33%. Sacrificing a small amount of time to properly position during a long procedure is only going to benefit the practician and the patient, the physical stress accumulating during the medical act can heavily impact the result of the treatment.