Poor neck posture and longer working duration during root canal treatment correlated with increased neck discomfort in dentists with <5-years' experience in endodontics

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the effects of neck posture and working duration during each step of root canal treatment (i.e. opening the canal [OC], length determination, mechanical instrumentation, try main cone, and filling the root canal) on neck discomfort (ND) in dentists with <5-years' endodontic experience.

METHODS: Twenty-four dentists performed a one-visit endodontic treatment of an upper molar in a phantom head model. A video was recorded to evaluate the dentists᾽ neck postures using the Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI) and treatment duration. The M-DOPAI divides the dentists᾽ neck postures into three categories: acceptable, compromised, or harmful posture. The participants rated their ND using Borg᾽s CR-10 scale every 10 min. and at the end of each treatment step. The relationships between neck posture/treatment duration and Borg᾽s CR-10 scores were examined using partial correlation.

RESULTS: The number of compromised and harmful neck postures during the endodontic procedure (r = 0.43, P = .04) and treatment duration (r = 0.58 P = .005) significantly correlated with ND at the end of treatment. The number of compromised and harmful neck postures during the OC step (r = 0.75, P < .001) and the duration of the OC step (r = .70, P < .001) significantly correlated with ND at the end of the step.

CONCLUSION: Poor neck postures and long working duration during endodontic treatment correlated with ND among inexperienced dentists. Neck pain interventions should focus on neck postures and work duration during root canal treatment, particularly in the OC step.