A survey among 300 dentists in Germany and the USA, which was started at the end of 2016, yielded extremely remarkable information. One of the areas more closely targeted in this survey was the practitioner's work-related pain experience. It came to light: a significant number of dentists suffer from pain in their daily work.
On a scale from 1 to 6 (1 for no work-related pain and 6 for severe work-related pain), 23% of the dentists surveyed in Germany stated that they suffered from moderate pain level 3, 8% from severe pain level 5 and at least still 1% with very severe pain of level 6. In view of this information, the question arises: Is pain part of a dentist's job or is there another reason- the wrong posture?
Too often, many dentists neglect their own posture and only worry about the patient. But an appropriate working position is important for every member of the treatment team. Aside from the potential health consequences, an ergonomic posture also affects work efficiency and the team's stress during treatment. The latter can quickly spread to the patient and also lead to an increased level of stress in them. If the practitioner and assistant are physically relaxed due to their working position, this benefits the patient. Sounds easy, but it is often a real problem in implementation.
Just get up and move consciously
"There are rules that are actually quite simple: Get up from time to time, explain the diagnosis to the patient by standing up instead of sitting in the chair. This is very important in order to get a grip on the physical ergonomic aspects," says Prof. Dr. Jerome Rotgans, RWTH Aachen University, from the "Ergonomics and Dentistry" working group.
The "sitting sickness" is widespread among dentists and is due to the daily work at the practice chair. In addition to back and neck problems, symptoms of fatigue, eye and joint pain or sleep disorders are not uncommon and can be attributed to poor sitting posture. According to Rotgans, good sitting is above all a work attitude and therefore more than just the right posture. “First and foremost, you have to know how to sit properly, anatomically and physiologically,” emphasizes Rotgans. "That means: The dentist must adopt their correct working posture as a starting point, depending on the planned treatment process."
Dentist and ergonomics coach Thomas Senghaas also sees a connection between posture and workflow. Movements, such as reaching for the lamp, should be carried out consciously in order to bring variety to the static positions. He also advised practice teams to do endurance sports and mental relaxation in their free time: “The Sports activities have a positive effect on the body, ensure a clear head and thus lead to better results in daily work.
Support through ergonomic products
The industry has been working on treatment chairs and equip for some time, which are intended to create the basis for a well-thought-out ergonomic way of working. Where to put your legs and hands? What to do with the patient's head? The World Dental Federation (FDI) describes the ideal sitting position for dentists as follows: sit upright and not twisted, keep upper arms close to the body, support angled forearms, place feet flat on the floor, bend head only slightly.
For the dentist, the seat height should be set so that the thighs form an angle of around 100 degrees. The body dimensions of the practitioner in relation to the respective working position are of course decisive for the seat height. Sufficient legroom is important, which places high demands on the design of the treatment center. The construction of the patient chair must guarantee this legroom under the backrest at all times and at the same time ensure easy access to the foot switches.
Another important point is correct patient positioning, which consists of two aspects: patient comfort and optimal access to the work area, i.e. the patient's mouth. For ergonomic patient positioning, the patient is positioned half-lying to lying (backrest about 0 degrees), while the adjustment of the headrest ensures the necessary positioning of the head. The practitioner should ideally be in the 9-10 o'clock position or at 12 o'clock. The head positioning is crucial for access. It must be individually adjustable to the patient's size - this is now standard - and should also be infinitely adjustable and rotatable. While the patient can remain relaxed, the support bears the weight of the head and fixes it in a hollow.
Conclusion
The coordinated interaction of various factors is essential for an ergonomic way of working. It is important to consider both the needs of the patient and the treatment team. Relaxed postures promote the well-being of the patient, increase the concentration of the dentist and assistant and thus increase the quality of treatment.