Prevalence of Cervical Spondylitis in Dentists of Lahore

Abstract

Aim: To analyze prevalence of cervical spondylitis among dentists practicing in Lahore. Methods: A cross sectional survey of 6 months was conducted on 110 dentists practicing in dental clinics of Lahore were examined using neck disability index performa. SPSS Version 24 used for entering/analyzing the data. Results: In 110 individuals, 22% dentists including males (n=19%) and females (n=24.2%) were suffering from cervical spondylitis. According to neck disability index 34.5% had no disability, 47.2% had mild, 10.9% had moderate, 5.4% had severe disability and only 1.9% had complete disability. The major number (30%) was among 41-50years, and also statistically significant difference was observed (p-value = 0.02). Similarly maximum number of cervical spondylitis was found among females, 15(24.2%) but statistically insignificant difference was observed with respect to gender (p-value = 0.493). Longer practicing experience had also significant impact on the occurrence of spondylitis (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Dentists are likely to have neck pain prevalent in them and very few had cervical spondylitis (22%) but the damage could be reduced if postural changes and regular exercises could be adapted. Keywords: Cervical Spondylitis, Neck Disability Index, Postural Changes