Occupational diseases suffered by dentists

Occupational diseases for the dentist happen due to their working condition. There are many disability leave due to such occupational illnesses for the dentist.

Understand occupational diseases for the dentist

Occupational diseases for the dentist occur due to the habits, postures and environmental risks that dentists are exposed to at work. The office facilities, equipment to be handled, interaction with people for treatment and prevention of problems, exposure to radiation and contact with pharmacological drugs, end up providing even more the appearance of occupational diseases for the dentist.

In addition to all this exposure of the dentist, we must pay attention to the meticulous part of the work, where the surgeon needs to make precise, delicate movements with concentrated strength, the vision must always be concentrated in the place where the procedure is performed, the reach of the posture during the consultations. so that better results can be achieved with the other movements, coming there to demand a lot of effort, concentration, discernment, safety and forcing other pillars of the professional's health, and often causing the absence from work due to disability.

As explained above about the dentist's performance, now we will address the 4 main occurrences of occupational diseases for the dentist:

1- HEARING LOSS - Hearing loss is one of the occupational diseases for the dentist who is constantly present in dental offices, through the physical agent noise, this disease affects a large number of dental surgeons in view of the engines responsible for driving dental equipment .

We can mention as equipment that generate this noise in the office, such as the high-speed pen, micromotor, compressor, air conditioning, external sound aggressions and others. These sound aggressions are gradual, progressive and painless, which makes it difficult for the professional to realize that he is harmed by the exposure. Initially, the professional does not even realize that he is left sick by hearing loss. Thus, professionals continue to exercise their activities uninterruptedly resulting in loss or reduction of hearing capacity.

2- VISUAL CHANGES - The vision is one of the foundations for the practice of dentistry, the dental surgeon must always have the vision in perfect condition, as it is essential for the performance of services, with quick, safe and efficient actions.

The consultations are always carried out in non-anatomical cavities with shadows and other points that hinder the dentist's evaluation. As time goes by and the constant use of vision, dental surgeons start to feel the so-called visual fatigue, this is because the muscles responsible for the movement of the eyeball, fixation and focus of vision end up wearing out. The result of this fatigue is constant tension and discomfort in the eyes, thus increasing their blinking, such as increased tearing and redness, eventually starting to generate disability in the professional with the loss of sharpness or duplication of images.

Reaching the most advanced degree that ends up starting to generate the total labor incapacity of the dental surgeon, in this state of incapacity the dental surgeon begins to present headache, nausea, depression and emotional irritability, in addition to loss of vision.

3- SPINAL PROBLEMS - Postural disorders, best known for causing problems with the spine, are another reality with dentists. The posture used to carry out daily work is one of the most worrying occupational problems, as long working hours and several daily appointments with posture in an ergonomic way end up generating several problems.

The main symptoms to appear in dental surgeons are muscle pain in the lower back, legs, back, arms and feet. Varicose and circulatory problems, inflammations in the tendons, and several other problems directly in the spine may still appear.

Over time, these problems arising from poor posture at the spine end up intensifying and generating the dentist's total disability. It is one of the most common occupational diseases to occur.

4- RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) - Repetitive Strain Injury also affects dentists. As we discussed at the beginning of the text, the dentist needs to perform thorough procedures that require concentrated strength and precise and delicate movements. The repetition of these movements daily during the many visits performed ends up generating these injuries.

Over time, pains, fatigue, falls in work performance start to appear, and chronic syndrome may develop depending on the severity of the injury acquired by the professional. Joint problems, such as tendonitis, bursitis and the like, are normal to arise with the prolongation of these injuries. In most cases, such occupational diseases end up generating the professional's total temporary disability.

We emphasize that in all diseases exposed, the best thing to do for the professional is to work on prevention, through investments in their work environment, such as: acquiring certified equipment with adequate noise levels and within acceptable current standards, acquiring furniture from office with adequate ergonomics for the professional who will use it and, use the appropriate personal protective equipment.

Source: Auxilio Doença: Dentista. Available at: https://koetzadvocacia.com.br/doencas-ocupacionais-para-o-dentista/. Access on: 04/07/2021.