Demographic characteristics of the surveyed dentists
| Items | Whole group (n=272) | Males (n=151) | Females (n=121) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age groups (years) | |||
| 20–30 | 115 (42.3%) | 64 (42.4%) | 51 (42.1%) |
| 31–40 | 88 (32.3%) | 47 (31.1%) | 41 (33.9%) |
| 41–50 | 51 (18.8%) | 30 (19.9%) | 21 (17.4%) |
| 51–60 | 18 (6.6%) | 10 (6.6%) | 8 (6.6%) |
| Smoking | |||
| Yes | 52 (19.1%) | 50 (33.1%)*** | 2 (1.7%)*** |
| No | 220 (80.9%) | 101 (66.9%) | 119 (98.3%) |
| Physical exercise | |||
| Yes | 172 (63.2%) | 114 (75.5%)*** | 58 (47.9%)*** |
| No | 100 (36.8%) | 37 (24.5%) | 63 (52.1%) |
| Physical exercise frequency/week(mean (SD)) | 1.4 (1.60) | 1.8 (1.64)* | 1.0 (1.48)* |
| Years of employment (mean (SD)) | 11.6 (9.32) | 12.1 (9.35) | 11.0 (9.29) |
| Working days/week (mean (SD)) | 5.4 (0.72) | 5.5 (0.70) | 5.4 (0.75) |
| Working hours/day (mean (SD)) | 7.5 (1.08) | 7.56 (0.96) | 7.3 (1.20) |
| Specific tool size selection | |||
| Yes | 43 (15.8%) | 27 (17.9%) | 16 (13.2%) |
| No | 229 (84.2%) | 124 (82.1%) | 105 (86.8) |
| Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms | |||
| Neck | 228 (83.8%) | 125 (82.8%) | 103 (85.1%) |
| Shoulder | 200 (73.5%) | 107 (70.9%)* | 100 (82.6%)* |
| Elbow | 81 (29.8%) | 45 (29.8%) | 37 (30.6%) |
| Wrist/hand | 117 (43.0%) | 59 (39.1%) | 60 (49.6%) |
Mean values (SD) present for exercise frequency/week, years of employment, working days/week as well as working hours/day and age groups, smoking, exercise, tool size selection and prevalence of neck and upper limb symptoms are expressed as counts (% of respective group). *Represents p<0.05, **represents p<0.01, ***represents p<0.001.