Evaluating the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Neck Pain in Dental Hygiene Students.

Purpose: Poor ergonomics is one of the leading factors in developing musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of forward neck flexion of dental hygiene students during manual scaling procedures while wearing magnification loupes and investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal neck pain.Methods: convenience sample of second year dental hygiene students was recruited for this observational study (n=24). A goniometer application was used to measure levels of neck flexion, while wearing dental loupes, 30 minutes into a manual scaling procedure. Participants completed a McGill Pain Questionnaire with a body diagram and an additional survey at the end of the session. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.Results: All participants' showed neck flexion exceeding 20° at the conclusion of a 30-minute manual scaling procedure. A majority (67%) were in a compromised range and 33% were in a harmful range. The top five pain descriptors identified in the pain questionnaire were aching, tiring-exhausted, throbbing, tender, and heavy. Pain was identified in the shoulder/trapezius (63%), cervical (50%), scapular (36%); and the participants' reported pain ranging from 1 to 7.Conclusion: Fifty percent of the participants experienced cervical neck pain when exceeding a forward neck flexion of more than 20° during a manual scaling procedure. The shoulder/trapezius and cervical regions were most frequently identified as the location of pain or problems. An early prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in was observed in this sample population of dental hygiene students.

An assessment of chlorine stain and collegiate swimmers.

Background: Swimming is known worldwide as one of the healthiest, low-impact forms of exercise that promotes a strong body, heart, and mind. However, several studies have suggested that swimming pool chlorination is responsible for dental erosion, calculus formation, and stain in competitive and recreational swimmers, a phenomenon known as swimmer's mouth. The purpose of this observational study was to assess chlorine stain on the dentition of competitive female swimmers and divers from a university team and to determine if dental preventive practices affected chlorine stains. Methods: Swimmers were recruited from the University of New Mexico Swimming and Diving Team for this IRB-approved study (#17-481). Participants completed a questionnaire regarding individual oral habits and frequency of preventive visits. Following the questionnaire, an oral screening was completed to evaluate for stain. Fisher exact tests, nonparametric Wilcoxon tests, and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Additionally, a cross-sectional analysis was used to compare the chlorine stain between divers and swimmers. Results: Twenty-one females, with a mean age of 20.5 years, participated in the study. One hundred percent of these subjects had staining of the teeth, despite the fact that 85% of them reported brushing their teeth 2 to 3 times per day, and 81% reported receiving regular dental prophylaxis. All participants swam 5 or more times every week, with practice length ranging from 1 to 2 hours. There were no differences in stain between collegiate swimmers and divers. Conclusion: Within this study sample, extrinsic staining of the teeth was identified on all swimmers and divers and the presence of stain was not prevented by the frequency of tooth brushing or professional stain removal. Additional oral hygiene regimens should be explored to facilitate the prevention or complete removal of swimmer stain.

Contexte: La natation est reconnue partout dans le monde comme l'une des formes d'exercice physique les plus saines et ayant le moins d'impact, qui renforce le corps, le coeur et l'esprit. Cependant, plusieurs études ont suggéré que la chloration des piscines cause l'érosion dentaire et la formation de tartre et de taches chez les nageurs compétitifs et récréatifs; un phénomène appelé la bouche de nageur. L'objectif de cette étude d'observation était d'évaluer les taches de chlore sur la dentition de nageuses et de plongeuses de compétition d'une équipe universitaire et de déterminer si les habitudes dentaires en matière de prévention influençaient les taches de chlore. Méthodologie: Les nageuses ont été recrutées de l'équipe de natation et de plongeon de l'Université du Nouveau-Mexique pour effectuer cette étude approuvée par le comité d'éthique médicale (#17-481). Les participantes ont répondu à un questionnaire à l'égard des habitudes buccodentaires personnelles et de la fréquence de leurs visites dentaires préventives. À la suite du questionnaire, un dépistage buccal a été effectué pour évaluer les taches. Les tests exacts de probabilité de Fisher, les tests non paramétriques de Wilcoxon et les statistiques descriptives ont été employées pour analyser les données. De plus, une analyse en coupe a servi à comparer les taches de chlore chez les plongeuses et les nageuses. Résultats: Vingt-et-une femmes âgées en moyenne de 20,5 ans ont participé à l'étude. La totalité des sujets avait des taches sur les dents, malgré le fait que 85 % d'entre elles ont signalé avoir brossé leurs dents 2 à 3 fois par jour et 81 % d'entre elles ont rapporté recevoir régulièrement des prophylaxies dentaires. Toutes les participantes ont nagé 5 fois ou plus par semaine et la durée de leur entraînement variait d'une à deux heures. Les nageuses et les plongeuses universitaires n'ont démontré aucune différence dans leur taux de taches. Conclusion: Parmi cet échantillon de l'étude, des taches extrinsèques ont été décelées sur les dents de toutes les nageuses et plongeuses, et la fréquence du brossage de dents ou l'élimination professionnelle des taches n'a pas empêché la présence de taches. Des mesures supplémentaires d'hygiène buccodentaire devraient être explorées afin de faciliter la prévention ou l'élimination complète des taches chez les nageurs.

Effects of a Training Needle on Dental Hygiene Student Anxiety.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess whether practicing with a cotton-tipped applicator as compared to a new training device had an effect on the anxiety levels of dental hygiene students prior to administering and receiving their first intraoral injection for local anesthesia.Methods: This pilot study used a convenience sample of senior dental hygiene students from an entry-level Bachelor degree dental hygiene program. Participants completed a pre-test survey after watching a video demonstrating the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) injection technique to determine anxiety levels regarding administering and receiving an intraoral injection. Test and control groups were randomly assigned; and participants either received a dental syringe with an attached training needle device (test) or a cotton tip applicator (control). Both groups completed a post-test survey following a 15 minute practice session. Descriptive statistics were performed and Chi-square tests were used to determine significance.Results: Pre-test results showed that 91% of the participants (n=23) reported having anxiety regarding administering or receiving an intraoral injection in one or multiple areas. Chi-square tests determined no statistical significance (p =0.125) between the test and control groups in the post-test surveys.Conclusion: Dental hygiene students demonstrated decreased anxiety levels regarding administering and receiving an intraoral injection regardless of the assigned practice device in this pilot study. While use of a training needle was not shown to be superior at reducing anxiety in novice student operators when compared to a cotton tipped applicator, it may be a useful device for teaching local anesthesia administration techniques.