International Journal of Research & Review (www.ijrrjournal.com) 123 Vol.6; Issue: 4; April 2019 International Journal of Research and Review www.ijrrjournal.com E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Review Article Ergonomic Risk Factors Dr. Manpreet Kaur 1 , Dr. Himanshu Gupta 2 , Dr. Roshika Sudan 2 1 Postgraduate, 2 Reader, Department of Prosthodontics including Crown And Bridge, Maharaja Gangasingh Dental College, Sriganganagar, Rajasthan. Corresponding Author: Dr. Manpreet Kaur ABSTRACT In this modern world our goal should be fitting the job task to the person performing the job. Ergonomics is the study of work including the tasks, technology and environment, in relation to human capabilities which leads to improved productivity, reduced injuries, and greater worker satisfaction. Another meaning of working smarter is ergonomics. The purpose of this article is to spread a general awareness of ergonomic, risk factors as well as to become familiar with the field of ergonomics and also how to identify risk factors and stressful individual behaviors in dentistry which lead to injuries and to learn how to apply preventive strategies, including good posture and positioning. Key words: Ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, Carpal tunnel syndrome. INTRODUCTION Dental professionals are commonly exposed to a variety of occupational hazards such as chemical, biological and ergonomic which create musculoskeletal disorders. Dentists and dental hygienists are at a greater risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders than the general population. “Ergonomics” has become a popular term nowadays but it is not actually implemented in our day today life completely. “Ergonomics” derived from the Greek…”ergo” meaning work and “Nomos” the study of... Literally the study of work. Ergonomics is the study of workers and their relationship with their occupational environment. How you position yourself, your patient, your dental chair position, how equipment is utilized, how the workplace is designed and how it impacts your health. ERGONOMICS is a way to work smarter, more efficiently with less effort and without discomfort to the human body. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI), which can develop over time and can lead to long term disability. [1] Why we should care and follow ergonomics? Literature reviewed that the prevalence of skeletal or muscular pain in dentists, dental hygienists and dental students ranges from 93% to 64%. The most prevalent regions for pain in dentists have been shown to be the neck in 19.5- 80% which commonly leads to cervical pain and back pain which is 36.3% - 60.1%. Dentists and dental hygienists both are at same risk for work related musculoskeletal disorders and it was found that the most frequent injuries occur in the spine, shoulder and neck. [1] To work longer with efficient spirit, there is necessary to have awareness about posture and daily exercise which should be followed by both dentist and assistant. [2] All these posture related problems can be removed easily by designing the workstation according to unstrained posture,