Comparison of the risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc between dentists and other occupations: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

Abstract

Objectives: Dentists may have a higher risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD) due to prolonged sitting and improper postures during work. We conducted this study to delineate this issue, which is still unclear. Methods: This nationwide population-based study was conducted using Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 10 734 dentists, 72 066 non-dentist health-care providers (HCPs), and an identical number of age- and gender-matched participants from the general population. The risk of developing lumbar HIVD among dentists, non-dentist HCPs, and general population was compared by tracing their medical histories between 2007 and 2011. Results: The cumulative incidence rate of lumbar HIVD among dentists during the 5-year follow-up period was 1.40%. After adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities, the risk of developing lumbar HIVD was found to be lower among dentists than that among the general population (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64-1.00) and non-dentist HCPs (AOR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68-0.96). Conclusions: Dentists in Taiwan have a lower risk of developing lumbar HIVD than that among other occupations. Although this result is different from the general cognition, it does not imply that the prevention of lumbar HIVD in dentists is not important. Further studies are warranted to better address this issue.