Ergonomic evaluation of dental students in Birjand using the REBA method in seven therapeutic areas

Musculoskeletal disorders in dentistry lead to the loss of time, money, and health of dentists due to their incorrect body postures. Given the high prevalence of these problems and the significance of training and providing appropriate solutions to protect students who are at the beginning of their careers, this study attempts to evaluate the ergonomics of dental students in Birjand in seven treatment areas.

In this descriptive-analytical study, the body posture of 70 healthy dental students while working was investigated using the REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) method as a random sampling with 20-30 minutes of direct observation and taking some photos during work. The data were reported as a percentage, relative frequency, and mean using SPSS-22 software. The data were analyzed using chi-square and t-test tests (a=0.05). Thirty sixth-year students, nineteen fifth-year students, and twenty-one fourth-year dental students were studied. In this regard, 51.4% had priority 2 (moderate risk level) and 42.9% had priority 3 (high-risk level). Different departments also affected the level of ergonomic risk. Students in the surgery department had a higher risk level. There was a significant difference between REBA scores in people with different heights (value>0.05). However, there was no significant difference in REBA scores regarding gender entry year, weight, and BMI (0.05<P value) Given the moderate and high-risk levels of most of the studied students, they need ergonomic intervention training.