Efeito do design de instrumentos dentários na força de preensão em estudantes de medicina dentária

Abstract

Introduction: Dentist work requires comfort and visibility, which sometimes causes him to adopt an incorrect, maladjusted and static posture, affecting mostly the upper limbs. It is due to prolonged periodontal work that oral health professionals are more susceptible to developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the hand and wrist. This work involves excessive flexion positions of the wrist/hand, mechanical stress associated with instrument manipulation, and force applied during dental procedures. The propose of this study is to evaluate and analyze the variation of grip strength in 5th dental students. We also pretend evaluate the incidence of signs and symptoms of MSDs. Materials and Methods: A clinical dental procedure was simulated using instruments of different design on phantoms and to evaluate the palmar grip, the grip force exerted with a dynamometer was measured. A questionnaire was conducted to assess the incidence of signs and symptoms of MSD based on the Nordic NQM questionnaire. IBM® SPSS Statistics software was used for statistical treatment of the data. Results: It was found that the most prevalent symptoms in this population were shoulder, neck and upper back pain. During the procedure, 43 participants found the ergonomic curette more comfortable. After scraping with the metallic curette, a lower palmar grip strength was observed. Conclusion: Women have a higher incidence of MSD and lower grip strength. Students should transform and improve clinical habits to promote better working conditions and, decrease MSD. It was concluded that the grip force exerted during root scraping depends on the design of the curette. The larger the diameter and the lower the weight, the lower the gripping force made on the instrument.

Date of Award	13 Jul 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Vanessa Maria Barroso dos Santos Silva (Supervisor), Patrícia Fonseca (Co-Supervisor) & Joana Santos (Co-Supervisor)