Abstrakt

Prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Dentists in Lahore. A cross sectional survey

Nawal Farooq, Iqra Hameed*, Syeda Gul-e-Zehra, Rida Shafi, Zunaira Noor, Asra Awais

Objective: To ascertain the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among dental practitioners operating within both governmental and privately-owned medical facilities situated in the city of Lahore.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) was determined based on the symptoms reported by the participants, categorized as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe using a clinical diagnosis questionnaire. Data was collected from 120 dentists working in private and government institutes in Lahore, utilizing a convenient sampling technique. The participants completed the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ). The collected data were then entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0.

Results: All 120 dentists responded to the survey, yielding a 100% response rate. The participants had a mean age of 24.36 years (SD=6.82), with a majority of them being female (n=75, 62.5%). Dentists reported an average daily working hour of 5.63 (SD=2.28) and an average practice duration of 2.58 years (SD=3.60). The prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) among the dentists was as follows: 22.5% asymptomatic, 64.2% mild symptoms, 10.8% moderate symptoms, and 2.5% severe symptoms of CTS.

Conclusion: This study affirms a notable prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among dentists functioning within governmental and private medical facilities in Lahore. Subsequent investigations focusing on the dynamics of ergonomic postures and the concomitant manifestation of low back pain linked to CTS and profession of dentist are strongly advocated. Such inquiries would enhance our comprehension of the intricate factors influencing CTS in dental professionals and contribute to the formulation of preventive measures and targeted interventions.