A Novel Method for the Risk Assessment of Dental Practitioners in Chennai City for Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders are a common cause of work-related disability among dental professionals. Many dentists are unaware of this risk. There is no method to assess the risk status of dentists to occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders. In this study the authors introduce a novel method to assess the risk levels of musculoskeletal disorders among the dentists in Chennai city. A novel, five-point rating scale was used to assess the risk levels of musculoskeletal disorders among the 297 dentists in Chennai city. On grading the dentists in various zones of Chennai city included in the study using a five-point scale, 57.91% of dentists were under moderate risk, 34.68% of dentists were under very minimal risk, 3.70% of dentists had no risk factor, 3.37% were under high risk, and only 0.34% of dentists were under very high risk. A novel, five-point rating scale has been introduced in this study to assess the risk levels of musculoskeletal disorders among the dentists in Chennai city.