Observational studyPloS one2020
Prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and associated conducted therapy approaches among dentists and dental assistants in Germany.
Observational study in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational diseases in dentistry: Prevention.Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry · 2026Review
- Occupational diseases among dental personnel: a scoping review.Journal of medicine and life · 2025Article
- Article
- Āsana for Back, Hips and Legs to Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Professionals: In-Office Yóga Protocol.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2023Article
- The Prevalence and Development of Neck and Lower Back Pain and Associated Factors in Dentistry Students-A Long-Term Prospective Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A RULA-Based Comparison of the Ergonomic Risk of Typical Working Procedures for Dentists and Dental Assistants of General Dentistry, Endodontology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Orthodontics.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Ergonomic Risk Assessment of Dental Students-RULA Applied to Objective Kinematic Data.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms in Saudi Allied Dental Professionals: Is there an Underestimation of Related Occupational Risk Factors?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Development of Musculoskeletal Disorders during Undergraduate Dentistry Studies-A Long-Term Prospective Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Diseases of the Upper Extremity Among Dental Professionals in Germany.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental professionals are subjected to higher risks for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) than other professional groups, especially the hand region. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of hand complaints among dentists (Ds) and dental assistants (DAs) and examines applied therapies.
methodsFor this purpose, an online questionnaire analysed 389 Ds (240female/149male) and 406 DAs (401female/5male) working in Germany. The self-reported data of the two occupational groups were compared with regard to the topics examined. The questionnaire was based on the Nordic Questionnaire (self-reported lifetime, 12-month and 7-day MSDs prevalence of the hand, the conducted therapy and its success), additional occupational and sociodemographic questions as well as questions about specific medical conditions.
results30.8% of Ds affirmed MSDs in the hand at any time in their lives, 20.3% in the last twelve months and 9.5% in the last seven days. Among DAs, 42.6% reported a prevalence of MSDs in the hand at any time in their lives, 31.8% in the last 12 months and 15.3% in the last seven days. 37.5% of the Ds and 28.3% of the DAs stated that they had certain treatments. For both, Ds and DAs, physiotherapy was the most frequently chosen form of therapy. 89.7% of Ds and 63.3% of DAs who received therapy reported an improvement of MSDs.
conclusionAlthough the prevalence of MSDs on the hand is higher among DAs than among Ds, the use of therapeutic options and the success of therapy is lower for DAs compared to Ds.
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