Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29213011›Full record

ReviewJournal of occupational health2018

The prevalence of occupational health-related problems in dentistry: A review of the literature.

Rajeshree Moodley, Saloshni Naidoo, Jacqueline van Wyk

Open access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of occupational health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
49.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 128 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Occupational diseases in dentistry: Prevention.Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry · 2026
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  8. Understanding the Burden of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dental Students: A Multinational Cohort Study.European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rajeshree MoodleyDiscipline of Dentistry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2703-9370
Saloshni NaidooDiscipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Jacqueline van WykDiscipline of Clinical and Professional Practice, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
University of KwaZulu-Natal · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The study was conducted to report on the scope and prevalence of occupational health related-problems experienced by dentists, dental therapists, and oral hygienists in their practice of dentistry.

backgroundProfessional practice and dental training have many risk factors, and the dental team should be able to recognize these factors to protect themselves. The prevalence of conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, stress, percutaneous injuries, ears, and eyes are of concern. The dental team should also not forget hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV as risks in practice. Dental practitioners should protect themselves by self-recognizing risk factors and by maintaining proper working conditions.

methodsThe study targeted all empirical research, case studies, and systematic literature reviews written in English. All articles selected were subjected to a data analysis process. Data were captured on an Excel spreadsheet and reported in a comprehensive table.

resultsThe literature addressing occupational health among dental practitioners included mainly cross-sectional studies and review papers (2001-2016). Forty-nine studies were included in the review. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most researched occupational health-related problems in dentistry. Eye protection compliance was low among practitioners. Percutaneous injuries especially among young dentists and students were still a concern.

conclusionOccupational health-related problems are still prevalent in current dentistry practice, despite changes in equipment and surgery design. The reported prevalence of occupational related-health problems and other findings of investigative studies highlight the need for continuous professional education and a need to improve clinical practice aspects of dentistry curricula.

Indexed as

Occupational HealthDentistryEye Protective DevicesHumansMusculoskeletal DiseasesOccupational DiseasesOccupational InjuriesOccupational StressPrevalenceRisk FactorsMusculoskeletal disordersOccupational healthPercutaneous injuryStress

Identifiers

PMID29213011
PMCPMC5886878
OpenAlexW2775422089

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.