71 International Journal of Scientifc Study | November 2015 | Vol 3 | Issue 8 Prevalence of Neck and Lower Back Pain among Dentists from Three Dental Colleges in Patna City: A Questionnaire Study Subhash Chandra 1 , Ajoy Kumar Shahi 2 , Rajat Bhargava 3 1 Professor, Department of Orthodontia and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India, 2 Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India, 3 Reader, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India cannot avoid prolonged static postures. Even in optimal seated postures, more than one-half of the body’s muscles are contracted statically, and there is little movement of the vertebral joints. This may result in damaging physiological changes (micro changes) that can lead to back, neck or shoulder pain or musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) (macro changes) 2 in dentistry, overstrained and awkward postures, repetitiveness of different joint movements, use of high frequency vibration tools, and psychological stress have been identifed as risk factors. 3,4 Studies have shown that dentists report more frequent musculoskeletal pain 5,6 particularly back and neck pain, has been found to be a major health problem for dental practitioners. 7,8 its exact causes are legion, and an exact diagnosis is often diffcult. It has been stated that the most common sites of pain among dentists are in the areas of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. 9-11 It has been pointed out that common postural INTRODUCTION The dentists are at high risk of neck and lower backache problems due to the limited work area with a limited scope of movement and narrow visual feld associated with the oral cavity. These working restrictions frequently cause a clinician to assume stressful body positions to achieve good access and visibility inside the oral cavity. Furthermore, dental procedures are usually long; require much more concentration during work. 1 Dentist often Original Article Abstract Introduction: In the practice of dentistry, stress, tension, and postural practices can contribute to neck and lower backache problems. Considering the importance of this problem, we considered it was necessary to investigate the prevalence and severity of these problems in this part of eastern India. Purpose: To assess the prevalence, severity, and extent of lower back and neck pain among dentists of three dental colleges of Patna and to suggest/advice preventive measures. Materials and Methods: 121 dentists from three dental colleges in Patna were surveyed to determine the prevalence of neck and lower back pain (73 males and 48 females). The dentists were interviewed with the help of a questionnaire. Result: The data obtained and showed that (88) 72.80% of the dentists had suffered with the problem, sometimes during their practice of dentistry. 38.01% of dentists complained of the lumbar pain. 13.02% had pain in the cervical area, and 24.04% of the dentists had pain in both the areas. Only 39.54% of those complaining of a backache sought medical help. 57.85% of dentists opted exercise and yoga as treatment modalities to relieve the pain. Conclusion: The neck and lower back pain is largely prevalent in dental practitioners though not of very severe degree. Preventive aerobic and relaxation exercises should be included in weekly activities of dentists to prevent recurrence of this problem. Key words: Dentists, Exercise, Low back pain, Musculoskeletal disorder, Neck pain Access this article online www.ijss-sn.com Month of Submission : 09-2015 Month of Peer Review : 10-2015 Month of Acceptance : 11-2015 Month of Publishing : 11-2015 Corresponding Author: Dr. Subhash Chandra, Department of Orthodontia and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, West of T.V. Tower, Kankarbagh, Patna - 800 020, Bihar, India. Phone: +91-9955393983. E-mail: drscportho@gmail.com DOI: 10.17354/ijss/2015/511