Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Undergraduate Dental Students, Cairo University Towards Ergonomics

Ergonomic is the study of people and their working environment. Ergonomic consequently is the science concerned with designing products and procedures to maximize efficiency and safety.

The world health organization defines Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) as "a disorder of the muscles Tendons, joints, intervertebral discs, Peripheral nerves, and vascular system''.

The musculoskeletal disorders are common among medical professionals, and especially dentists and dental hygienists, because of the prevalence of different postures in dental procedures, prolonged stature, unsupported sitting, griping smaller and thin instruments for a longer time and limited access during dental procedures.

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) affect muscle, joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves and caused by work itself or by working environment. It has been reported that back pain is the most common followed by neck pain and shoulder pain. If early signs and symptoms are noted, with the understanding of mechanisms of progression of the disease, MSDs can be prevented at earlier stage.

(Gupta et al., 2014), state some signs and symptoms of MSD on dentists:

Signs of MSDs:

• Decreased range of motion.
• Loss of normal sensation.
• Decreased grip strength.
• Loss of normal movement.
• Loss of coordination.

Symptoms of MSDs:

• Excessive fatigue in the shoulders and neck.
• Tingling, burning or other pain in arms.
• Weak grip, cramping of hands.
• Numbness in fingers and hands.
• Clumsiness and dropping of objects.
• Hypersensitivity in hands and fingers.

Goals of Ergonomics according to (Pendyala and Karunakar, 2014) :

• Prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and conditions which might lead to it.
• Increasing safety and productivity.
• Enhanced performance by eliminating unnecessary effort.
• Improving the standard of care to the patient.

So this study is conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among fifth-year undergraduate dental students, Cairo University towards Ergonomics