Left-Handed Students and Clinical Practice in Dentistry: Adaptations, Difficulties and Realities Experienced in the Academic Environment

Abstract

Objectives: To verify the existence of difficulties throughout the course of dentistry clinical practices, identify musculoskeletal pain, and evaluate frequency and intensity of pain/discomfort (if existent) in different regions of the body, experienced by left-handed students in comparison to right-handed students of the odontology courses of the state of Rio Grande do Norte (Northeast Brazil). Methods: A general questionnaire was applied to identify left-handed students in a population of 750 students, enrolled in clinical courses. An adaptation of the Grad-Corllet Diagram and a specific questionnaire on clinical practices were applied to the selected students. Descriptive statistics was utilized to analyze data of the specific questionnaire, and Mann-Whitney statistics, chi-square or Fisher’s Exact tests (with a 5% significance level) were utilized for the Grad-Corllet Diagram, searching for an association between discomfort/pain in different body regions and manual laterality. Results: All students presented higher percentage of pain in the lumbar and neck/cervical regions. However, left-handed students presented higher values, with statistical significance levels of p = 0.041 for lower back, p = 0.002 for neck and p = 0.003 for cervical region. Conclusions: The majority of left-handed students classified “moderate” the difficulty of working with equipment designed for right-handers. There was high frequency of musculoskeletal pain/discomfort, with relevant statistical results for left-handed students regarding intensity. It is suggested that the participating institutions evaluate the adoption of inclusion politics, re-adapt the infrastructure to include equipment designed for left-handers, and finally provide adequate work conditions for all students.