Improving chairside ergonomic behavior in postgraduate dental students through a structured interprofessional education module: a quasi-experimental study

Dr S. Meenakshi, N Raghunath, Amitabh Dwivedi

Background Inadequate ergonomic methods in dentistry put practitioners under disproportionate biomechanical strain, which increases the risk of musculoskeletal problems over the course of a working career. Because they carry out intricate, drawn-out chairside operations without further assistance, clinical postgraduate dentistry students constitute a high-risk population. This study assessed whether postgraduate dentistry students’ ergonomic knowledge, attitudes, and chairside behavior might be quantitatively improved by an organized interprofessional education (IPE) program. Methods A quasi-experimental pre–post design was used. Prosthodontics, Periodontics, Oral Surgery, Conservative Dentistry, and Endodontics were the five clinical departments where all 36 postgraduate dental students were enrolled. Departments without direct patient-care duties were not included. The six-week course included chairside stretching exercises, environmental modification advice, interactive discussion, and didactic instruction. At weeks two and six, unannounced photos were used to grade ergonomic behavior using the validated MEND (Meenakshi’s Ergonomic Needs for Dentistry) assessment; pre- and post-test questionnaires were used to measure knowledge. Results Each of the 36 participants finished both assessments. MEND scores improved statistically significantly in all four departments ( p = 0.003–0.043), falling from a mean of 26.88 (SD = 6.23) at baseline to 16.97 (SD = 1.06) at 6 weeks ( p < 0.0001). During the second assessment, no dangerous postures were noted. Recognition of the etiology of carpal tunnel syndrome rose from 10 to 95%, while knowledge of the purpose of ergonomics improved from 49 to 92%. Conclusion Clinical postgraduate dentistry students’ chairside ergonomic behavior and understanding significantly and consistently improved because of an organized, interprofessionally presented ergonomic module. It is necessary to incorporate such a program from the very beginning of clinical training.