title: Perception of risk of musculoskeletal disorders among Brazilian dental students.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the mean scores of perceived risk factors for the development of musculoskeletal disorders in dental students presently pursuing work/study, according to gender, course series, and the presence of pain/discomfort. The participants were 348 students from the undergraduate course in dentistry at a Brazilian public university. The instrument on work-related factors that could contribute to osteomuscular symptoms and part of the Nordic questionnaire were used. The psychometric properties of the first instrument were estimated. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that the instrument had a tri-factorial structure (s(2) retained: 62.72 percent). The retained factors were repetitiveness, work posture, and external factors. The internal consistency and reproducibility were adequate (α=0.746 to 0.873; p=0.729 to 0.940). Lower mean scores of perceived external factors were observed for the male participants, as well as lower scores in the three dimensions of the instrument for first-year students of the course and for those who did not report pain/discomfort in the neck, feet, and ankles. The authors concluded that the perception of risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders reported in the work/study environment of dental students was significantly related to gender, the course series, and the presence of pain/discomfort.
authors.affiliation: Rua Humaitá, 1680 Araraquara/SP, Brazil 14801-903; psgarcia@foar.unesp.br.
authors.forename: Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Cristina Dupim
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Presoto
authors.forename: Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D004497:Education, Dental; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011187:Posture; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brazil; dental students; ergonomics; musculoskeletal disorders; occupational health