Effects of Wrist Taping on Scaling Efficiency and Joint Angles during Manual Instrumentation among Dental Hygienists

Background: Manual instrumentation remains essential in periodontal care despite the widespread use of ultrasonic scalers, and may increase the biomechanical load on dental hygienists.This study evaluated whether wrist taping influences calculus removal efficiency and operator working posture as reflected by joint angles during manual scaling.Methods: Thirty-five healthy licensed dental hygienists performed artificial supragingival calculus removal on a dental model under two conditions, untaped manual scaling (UMS) and taped manual scaling (TMS).The calculus removal area was quantified using standardized photography and image analysis software by calculating the percentage/area of varnish removed within a predefined region of interest.Joint angles (cervical spine, lumbar spine, elbow, and wrist) were measured using a video-based motion analysis system, with reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks.The differences between UMS and TMS were assessed using paired t-tests.One-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test was used to examine region-wise variability.Statistical significance was set at p＜0.05.Results: The overall calculus removal efficiency did not differ significantly between UMS and TMS across most regions.However, calculus removal on lingual/palatal surfaces was significantly better in TMS than in UMS (14.21±4.22 vs. 12.71±4.48mm 2 ; p=0.005).Posture analysis indicated that lumbar flexion decreased significantly with TMS during both maxillary (104.92±14.63°vs. 108.89±15.53°;p=0.008) and mandibular scaling (97.92±11.10°vs. 102.21±11.42°;p=0.002).Elbow flexion increased significantly, approaching the ergonomic neutral range, when TMS was used for the maxilla (80.36±17.46°vs. 67.70±14.30°;p ＜0.001) and the mandible (76.46±17.67°vs. 70.79±14.26°;p=0.014).No significant differences were observed in cervical flexion or wrist flexion/extension (all p＞0.05).Conclusion: Wrist taping did not compromise calculus removal.It provided ergonomic benefits by improving lumbar and elbow postures during manual scaling.Wrist taping may serve as a practical adjunct to reduce musculoskeletal load in clinical situations where manual instrumentation is unavoidable.