Dental ergonomics knowledge, practice, and attitude assessment of dentists in Upper Egypt: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Ergonomics is the scientific study of people and their working environment. If ergonomic principles are applied in dentistry field, it helps to prevent occupational health hazards. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of group dentists in Upper Egypt regarding to dental ergonomics. Subjects and methods: a total of 430 dentists were included in the current study after sample size calculation, and then an additional number of dentists were added to guard against nonresponse. They were randomly selected from four governorates in Upper Egypt . Data were collected by face-to-face interview using pre-validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 24 items divided into five sections; first part demonstrates sociodemographic. The second part concerned with the knowledge about dental ergonomics. The third part consists of 4 questions to determine attitude of participants, The fourth part consists 5 questions focused on the practice of dentists regarding dental ergonomics and finally, the last part assess musculoskeletal disorders and treatments received of participants .Chi‐square test was used to compare between the two or more proportions. A correlation was used for describing the relationship between two mutually numerical dependent variables and significant level was set at p < 0.05. Results: revealed high response rate among participant (93%). The overall knowledge level in the current study was 11.8% had good knowledge, more than half had positive attitude towards dental ergonomic and only 8.0% had good practice. Conclusion: Dentists in Upper Egypt have problems in their knowledge and practice of dental ergonomics.