Analysis of the Relationship Between Dentists’ Health and Negative Occupational Factors

Introduction Negative ergonomic factors among dentists contribute to premature fatigue, pain, stress, negative attitude towards work and an elevated risk of musculoskeletal disorders [1-4]. Fatigue may be influenced by long weekly working hours, young age and a lack of practical skills [5]. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders ranges from 64% to 93% [4], which arise during professional activities and impacts productivity [4, 6]. Health issues among dentists have been associated with prolonged working hours, a high number of patients, improper posture [9, 10]. Aim To determine the relationship between dentists' health and negative occupational factors. Methods The study included 148 dentists practicing in Lithuania, all of whom were randomly selected and working in private practice. Ethical approval was obtained from the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of the LSMU. A survey was conducted to evaluate the relationship between ergonomic working conditions and health among dentists. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 21.0. For quantitative variables, the mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. For categorical variables, frequencies and percentages were determined. Hypotheses were tested at a significance level of p<0.05. The chi-square (χ2) test for categorical variables, and Spearman’s correlation coefficient (ρ) for relationships between quantitative variables. Results Dentists with higher workloads reported poorer health. Among those working more than 30 hours per week, 47.4% reported poor psycho-emotional health. 47.4% of dentists treating more patients per day reported poor psychoemotional health. The correlation between the number of health complaints and the number of working hours per week was ρ = 0.166 (p = 0.046). Dentists with non-ergonomic body postures during patient treatment had more health complaints (mean complaints 5.06±1.77) compared to those with ergonomic postures (mean complaints 3.29±1.92, p=0.001). Equipment noise significantly increased the number of health complaints. 32.9% complained of hearing problems. Insufficient lighting was associated with a significantly higher number of complaints. 48.9% complained of eye pain. Use of protective equipment caused discomfort in 44.1% of respondents. Dentists using toxic substances reported significantly more health complaints (4.97%; 3.98%; p=0.004). Negative ergonomic scores were also linked to physical health (ρ=0.155) and correlated with psycho-emotional health ratings (ρ=0.276). Conclusions Dentists working longer hours and treating more patients reported more complaints about poor psycho-emotional health.Dentists whose body posture while working was non-ergonomic had a higher number of health complaints.Equipment causing noise increased the number of health complaints among the participants.Respondents using toxic substances at work reported a higher number of complaints.