TITLE:
Painful Symptomatology Reported by Dentistry Students at a Brazilian University
AUTHORS:
Cristiane Assunção da Costa Cunha, Iris do Ceu Clara Costa, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza, Fábia Barbosa de Andrade, Antônio Medeiros Júnior
KEYWORDS:
Musculoskeletal Disorders, Ergonomics, Health Promotion, Occupational Health, Health Education
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.7 No.8,
August
14,
2015
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Identification of the level of knowledge on ergonomics principles, and application of these by dentistry students to investigate whether painful symptomatology was experienced. An-other objective is the expansion of discussions on occupational health in academic settings. Study Design and Settings: Dentistry students of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (n = 148) were surveyed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to determine the severity of musculoskeletal symptoms experienced. Data were analyzed through EpiInfo 7.0 to measure central trends and variability 5for quantitative variables, absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables, and significance between groups (confidence intervals and chisquare). Association analysis (Pearson) was also carried out. Results: Ergonomic measures were not reported by students. Within the musculoskeletal symptoms described, females were the most affected, independent of academic level. Conclusions: Positive correlations were verified between all categories and all anatomic regions (e.g., neck, lower back, wrists, hands, and shoulders). Data suggest progressive worsening of symptoms, which will eventually result in leaves of absence.