Occupational and Non-Occupational Risk Factors for Neck Pain in Dentists: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), notably neck pain, are important occupational health issues in the field of dentistry. The aim of the present study was to systematically review the literature for significant ris k factors for neck pain in dentists.

Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched with the following search strategy: (neck AND dentist AND pain). Data regarding the prevalence of each estimated risk factor were extracted, and studies with enough quantitative data were further analyzed using meta-analysis. The last search was done on October 2023. The calculated effect size for each study was based on the odds ratio (OR). All statistical analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (version 2).

Results: In total, 42 cross-sectional studies met our inclusion criteria for the current systematic review, with 34 of them selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. There was a significant relationship between dentists' neck pain and age (over 40 years old), female gender, working experience (more than 10 years), and height (exceeding 180 cm). Dentists with physical activity (OR=0.2, 95% CI: 0.04-0.9) and stretching (OR=0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0) had a significantly lower risk of neck pain compared to dentists without physical activity and stretching during the week after the treatment session. The use of vibrating tools increased the risk of neck pain among dentists (OR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.4). The number of compromised and harmful postures was significantly associated with an increased risk of neck pain across studies; however, the data were not enough for running a meta-analysis on this subject.

Conclusion: Poor cervical posture, older age, prolonged working experience, and a larger number of treated patients were identified as significant risk factors associated with neck pain. Ergonomic improvements, regular physical activity, rest breaks, stretching, and indirect vision play a crucial role in mitigating the risk of neck pain.