Hand-arm vibration on dentists using ready reckoner: A cross-sectional study

Context: Rising incidence of hand-arm vibration on dentists is an increasing concern in India. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose-response relationship derived using ready reckoner and to identify the most practicable exposure action and limit value measure that can be collected to aid in the health assessment of dentists exposed to hand-arm vibration. Aims: The objective of this research is to determine the magnitude of vibration transmitted per day among dentists exposed to the vibrating hand-held tools; To determine the association of the magnitude of vibration transmission with duration of usage and to determine the proportion of Exposure Action Value (EAV) and Exposure Limit Value (ELV) among dentists. Methods and Materials: Using a cross-sectional analysis, this study analyzed the incidence of hand-arm vibration on 92 dentists and measured these results with a ready reckoner. Statistical analysis used: Chi-Square Test was used to test the association of vibration exposure with selected parameters that is of interest such as years of experience, duration of work, vibration magnitude of the instrument. Results: The proximity of middle-aged dentists with more than or equal to 10 years of working experience were found to play a huge role in exposure to hand-arm vibration. Conclusions: This study definitely answers the questions regarding the exposure to hand-arm vibration on dentists. This could be minimized reducing exposure times, health surveillance, improved handpieces and other equipment and improving the overall ergonomics of the workplace. © This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.