The prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among Indonesian dental professionals.
Erica Kholinne, Xarisa Azalia, Erika Putri Rahayu and 3 others
PMID 40012958WHAT IT FOUND
Almost all dental staff reported musculoskeletal issues, with back and waist pain most common.
Poor posture and prolonged sitting worsened symptoms, while short breaks and exercise helped. No link was found between symptoms and job role, age, or working hours.
Key findings
0196% of dental practitioners reported musculoskeletal disorders, with the back (68.2%) and waist (66.9%) being the most affected areas.
02Ungonomic posture and prolonged sitting were the main aggravating factors, while taking short breaks and correcting posture were the most helpful.
03Physical exercise was the only significant factor associated with musculoskeletal disorders; job role, gender, and working hours were not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that poor posture or lack of exercise caused the disorders, only that they are associated. The sample had a large gender imbalance (86% female), which may limit generalizability to male dental professionals. The distribution of respondents across job roles was unequal, with dentists making up nearly half the sample. The study relied on self-reported data, which can be subject to recall bias. It did not investigate systemic factors or psychosocial conditions that might contribute to musculoskeletal pain.
Declared interests
The authors declared financial support from a grant by the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Trisakti. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders as proof that specific interventions like exercise or posture correction will prevent them in your patients. The study shows an association, not causation, and the cross-sectional design cannot determine if these factors caused the pain or if people with pain changed their behavior.