Preventing and managing back problems amongst dental professionals in dental practice

Dentistry has long been associated with the development of musculoskeletal problems.¹ In the past, dentistry was commonly taught in a standing position, usually with the practitioner standing in a stooped, distorted position, placing considerable stress on the lower lumbar spine. Ellis Paul devised the Four Handed Dentistry² (Close Support) technique once chairside assistance dentistry became the norm. The aim was to try and keep practitioners working in an ergonomic fashion to avoid prolonged, distorted positions which would place increased loads on their spines. This ergonomic form of working improved efficiency, productivity, reduced stress and was the start of ‘Team Dentistry’.³

There have been many articles^{4,5,6,7,8,9,10-11} written on the topic of the incidence of musculoskeletal problems in the dental profession, some of which have been summarized in Table 1. Burke et al⁴ highlighted that it was the most common reason for premature retirement based on data (1981–1992) from The Dentists' Provident Society. The figures from their 2007 claims showed that musculoskeletal problems accounted for 24%–26% (total of 1507 claims) as the main cause of early retirement (Figure 1). These figures have remained static and other critical illness insurance companies have shown that it is one of their leading causes of early retirement.^10-11