Dental students' knowledge of ergonomic postural requirements and their application during clinical care

Aim:To examine how much final-year undergraduate dental students know about postural dental ergonomic requirements, and how well they apply these requirements clinically.Background:Dentists are vulnerable to diverse mechanical (e.g. postural) and non-mechanical occupational risks.Materials and Methods:Eight postural requirements found in normalising documents were identified, reproduced, photographed, and analysed to develop a test of visual perception (TVP). Photographs of the 69 participating students were taken during their clinical care to ascertain ergonomics compliance, after which the students were administered the TVP. Pearson's test was used to correlate the level of knowledge (TVP) and its clinical application (photographic analysis) among the 552 observations made for each test (total of 1104 observations).Results:65.7% of the TVP questions were answered correctly and 35% of the photographic cases were in compliance with ergonomic requirements (+ 0.67, P < 0.0001).Conclusion:The knowledge of ergonomics postural requirements and their clinical application among the dental students surveyed were not satisfactory. The reasons for the learning difficulties encountered by the students should be identified to improve the learning process. The didactic use of digital images in this study may help in this endeavour.

Aplicação de princípios de ergonomia no atendimento odontológico

The dentist has been suggested as a professional vulnerable to labor risks mainly related to working posture. This study examined the application of ergonomics principles during the dental attendances made by university student of the last period of the Araçatuba Dental University. Twenty-four attendants were photographed and the images were digitally analyzed for the verification of 10 requirements that determine a healthy labor posture, defined by the project ISO Standard / TC 106/SC 6 N 411. It was observed that 50% of items from the check list obtained higher percentages of negative replies. The students had greater difficulties as to the correct position of the angle between the upper and lower leg when sitting, the ideal adjustment of the light focus reflector in the field of work and the patient positioning. It was concluded that the dental attendances were held without compliance with the ergonomic requirements. The greatest difficulties regarding the work posture were the sitting posture, the light beam and the patient positioning. Students need better guidance about ergonomic principles and requirements, which should occur at any time of life, but earliest they are installed, greater the benefits, assimilation and incorporation of adequate working postures will be. We need a reform that addresses all sectors of the dental system, so that learning and application of ergonomics in dentistry become effective, efficient and effective.