title: Musculoskeletal Pain Management Among Dentists: An Alternative Approach.
abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most important occupational health issues in health care workers. Musculoskeletal pain is an occupational health problem for dental professionals, particularly dentists. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be helpful in managing and preventing these MSDs. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of MSDs among dentists residing in east India and the use of CAM therapies for the management of MSDs among dentists. Dentists (N = 1082) residing in east India, registered under the Dental Council of India, were surveyed. A questionnaire comprising demographic profile, questions related to MSD among dentists, use of CAM therapies for MSD management, source of CAM information. Data analysis was done using SPSS (version 17), and data were presented in tabular and graphic forms. Univariate and bivariate analyses were done, with P < .05 considered as significant. A response rate of 81% (n = 877) was obtained, revealing that 71% (n = 623) of dentists suffered from MSD. The use of CAM was reported among 83% (n = 517) and conventional therapy among 15% (n = 94) of dentists, and 2% (n = 12) of dentists with MSD do not use any type of treatment modality. Complementary and alternative medicine represents a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM therapies have improved quality of life and have given a new meaning to it, especially to dentists who suffer from MSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of public health dentistry, Institute of dental science, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, General Secretary, International Society for Holistic Dentistry, India (Dr Gupta); Department of Pedodontics, Ragas Dental College, Tamil Nadu, India (Dr Devaki); Pritam Dental Care, (Dr Dommaraju), Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Dental Sciences, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India (Dr Srinivas); Department of Dentistry, Dr. Vishampayan Memorial Govt. Medical College, Solanpur, India (Dr Patil); Department of Oral Pathology, Jaipur Dental College, Jaipur, India (Dr Momin); Department of public health dentistry, Teerthanker Mahaveer Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India (Dr Jain); Govt. degree college, Banbasa, Uttrakhand, India (Dr R.K. Gupta).
authors.forename: Devanand
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Devaki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: M
authors.forename: Neelima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dommaraju
authors.forename: Kavuri Teja
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.forename: Atul A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Rizwan K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Momin
authors.forename: Ankita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Rajendra Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult