Clinical and electrodiagnostic abnormalities of the median nerve in Army dental assistants before and after training as preventive dental specialists.
US Army Med Dep J
; : 70-81, 2011.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21409766
PURPOSE: Dentists and dental hygienists have been reported as having a high prevalence of upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Unfortunately, previous research has not involved the impact of preventive dental specialist training on dental assistants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the presence of median and ulnar neuropathies in US Army dental assistants before and after training as preventive dental specialists. METHODS: Thirty-five US Army dental assistants (24 female, 11 male; age range 18-41 years) volunteered for the study. Twenty-eight preventive dental specialist students completed both the pretraining and posttraining data collections. Subjects were evaluated during the first and last weeks of their 12-week course. Subjects completed a history form, were interviewed, and underwent a physical examination. Nerve conduction status of the median and ulnar nerves of both upper extremities were obtained by performing motor, sensory, comparison (unilateral median to ulnar distal motor and sensory latencies), and F-wave nerve conduction studies (NCS). Descriptive statistics for subject demographics and pre to post physical examination and nerve conduction variables were calculated. Chi square (χ²) analysis was also conducted to determine if a significant shift in the prevalence of neuropathies occurred following dental training. RESULTS: With the exception of comparison studies, pre-NCS and post-NCS electrophysiological variables were normal. Specifically, 9 subjects (26%) involving 14 hands (20%) were found to have meaningful (>1.0 millisecond) delayed median to ulnar distal motor latency comparisons in the pretraining assessment. Additionally, there was no statistically significant shift in the prevalence of electrodiagnostic abnormalities of the median nerve following the 12-week training program (χ²=0.280, P=.60). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of clinical and electrodiagnostic abnormalities of the median nerve in this sample of US Army dental assistants closely mirrors the prevalence reported for other dental professionals. This study also demonstrates that, for this sample, the 12-week training program did not appear to affect the electrophysiologic status of the median or ulnar nerves.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
14_ODS3_health_workforce
/
1_ASSA2030
Problema de salud:
14_authority_accountability_healthcare_workers
/
1_doencas_nao_transmissiveis
Asunto principal:
Odontología Preventiva
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Neuropatía Mediana
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Neuropatías Cubitales
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Asistentes Dentales
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Personal Militar
/
Enfermedades Profesionales
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
US Army Med Dep J
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos