Work-Related musculoskeletal pain among lebanese dentists: An epidemiological study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and identify their associated factors among a group of Lebanese dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 314 Lebanese, dentists completed an anonymous questionnaire that focused on occupational health problems. This study was approved by the ethics committee of Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for windows. The alpha error was set to 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 39.2 (±11.66) years. The results showed that 61.5% of the surveyed dentists complained of spinal pain: 31.6% of cervical pain, 22.3% of lumbar pain and 13.0% of dorsal pain. Moreover, the pain was continuous in 20.7% and, occasional in 65.8%. Our statistics showed that 7.6% had a problem with the carpal tunnel. A total of 22.3% suffered from tendinitis and 9.2% from arthritis of shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. The frequency of headaches was 30.6%. Concerning sports activity, 49.7% practiced it occasionally and 3.6% did so frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of musculoskeletal pain in the upper extremities is a serious concern that affects Lebanese dentists. Most of them often complained of tendinitis and headaches because they do not practice sports; thus, encouraging them to practice sports may reduce or solve such health problems. Issuing brochures that include exercises to perform and hiring trained assistants could help reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Finally, these occupational health problems should be highlighted at all clinical and research symposia to increase awareness.

[Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: the prognostic value of tumoral markers]. / Cancer mucoépidermoïde des glandes salivaires: signification pronostique des marqueurs tumoraux.

INTRODUCTION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is one of the most frequent malignant lesions of salivary glands. The treatment is based on clinical, paraclinical and histological data. Several studies on the prognostic value of molecular markers for these cancers were made with contradictory results. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the prognostic value of molecular markers of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixteen patients were treated for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of principal and/or accessory salivary glands between 1994 and 2003. An immunohistochemical study of archive specimen was performed. Nine markers were specifically studied: 4 proteins/oncoproteins (p53, bcl2, c-erb-B2 and cd117), 2 markers of proliferation (PCNA and Ki67), 1 growing factor receptor (EGFR), 1 epithelial adhesion molecule (E-cadherin), and 1 angiogenic cytokine (PDGF). RESULTS: Nine men and 7 women were included, with a mean age of 43.7 years (14-80). The mean diameter of tumors was 3.1 mm (1-14), and the parotid gland was the most frequent location. The mean global survival rate was 57.3 months with a median of 55 months. The 2 to 5 years survival expectation rate were 82.5% and 46.4% respectively. The mean survival rate for women was superior to that of men (P=0.043). The expression of p53 and the high expression rate of EFGR were bad prognostic factors (respectively P=0.049 and P=0.012). The expression of PCNA was linked to the location (mainly the salivary gland) and to the diameter of the tumor (respectively P=0.037 and P=0.029). The degree of EFGR positivity and the histological grade were linked (P=0.027). DISCUSSION: The strong expression of EGFR was statistically linked to the histological tumor grade. The degree of PCNA positivity seemed to be associated to the preferential location in the main salivary glands and to the diameter of the tumor. The strong expression of p53 and EGFR were bad prognostic factors. These retrospective results need to be confirmed by prospective randomized and larger studies. EGFR and p53 were significant negative prognostic factors. EGFR was highly correlated to the histological grade, making it an interesting target for further investigation.