Evaluation of Knowledge Levels and Awareness of Dentists Working in Sivas Province about Ergonomics

Authors : Şükran Acıpınar, Arzu Koçkanat

Pages : 77-86

Doi:10.51122/neudentj.2025.143

View : 38 | Download : 35

Publication Date : 2025-04-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: Dentists are among the occupational workers at ergonomic risk. Musculoskeletal system diseases constitute the largest class of occupational injuries that occur when ergonomic rules are not followed and the prevalence is high in dentists. Appropriate working posture is the starting point in the prevention of damages. If dentists are aware of this issue, the profession can be continued in a healthy way for many years. Materials and Methods: The aim of this structured questionnaire study was to determine the awareness of ergonomics in 103 dentists working in the centre of Sivas province and to determine their level of knowledge about occupational diseases that may occur when ergonomic conditions are not complied with and to raise awareness. The questionnaire consists of demographic information, awareness, risk factors and Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ). IBM SPSS 23® programme was used for statistical analysis. Results: 96.1% of dentists stated that they knew occupational ergonomics and 94.2% knew the correct working position. However, 68.9% reported that they worked in the same position for a long time and 52.4% reported that they did not do stretching or breathing exercises. NMQ results were found to be statistically significantly different according to gender and place of work (p<0.05).A statistically significant positive correlation was found between NMQ and awareness section (p<0.05). Age and body mass index values were found to have no statistically significant effect on NMQ (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed that dentists working in Sivas province have insufficient awareness of ergonomic working conditions and occupational musculoskeletal disorders.
Keywords : Diş hekimliği, Mesleki hastalıklar, İskandinav kas-iskelet sistemi anketi, Ergonomi