LAUSR

Prolonged and inappropriate postures and precise movements in dental procedures lead to high susceptibility to lower back pain (LBP) in dental practitioners. We aimed to explore the related risk factors in dentist practitioners. A cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists at the University Clinic of Odontology in Monastir from November to December 2018. Socio-demographic, professional, and clinical data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with the Nordic questionnaire. Among the 167 participants included, the mean age was 28.30 ± 6.7 years, female sexe predominated (sex ratio = 0.41) and the prevalence of LBP was 33.7%. Their risk in our participants was multiplied by 4.9 according to daily work duration (p=10-3, CI95 [2,2, 11,1]; by 2.8 in the event of concomitant neck pain (p=0,007, CI95 [1,3, 6,2]); by 1.6 for trainees (p=0,007, CI95 [1,1, 2,3]) and by 0.2 in the case of a lack of breaks (p=0,01, CI95 [0,06, 0,7]). Our results highlight the impact of prolonged working hours on LBP in dentists and the need to manage workloads to reduce musculoskeletal strain. The potential neck-lumbar spine link emphasizes the importance of holistic management. Trainees have a higher risk of LBP possibly due to their limited ergonomic experience, suggesting to associate ergonomic gesture learning with technical dental learning. Our results provide a foundation for recommendations aimed at promoting comfort and sustainability ensuring long-term well-being for dentists.