Cumulative Trauma Disorders among Dentists

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the cumulative trauma disorders [CTD] among public health dentists according to sex, age, working time, specialty, workload, and physical activity, identifying the frequency, intensity, and limitations caused by CTD in their professional practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 150 dentists in public health units. Subjects were classified according to socioeconomic and demographic levels, the presence or absence of CTD, and type of working process. The Portuguese version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to evaluate these variables. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software. The chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate the association between variables, with a confidence interval set at 95% and a significance level at 5%. Results: Most subjects interviewed were female [79.3%] with an average of 20 years of professional experience [46.0%]. Despite 92% of respondents showing symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders, only 20% were diagnosed with CTD. Conclusions: The presence of CTD in the studied sample was high. The large number of dentists with the symptoms compared to the low number of dentists properly diagnosed is suggestive of underreporting and explains why governmental statistics do not have this data.