Risk of muscloskeletal disorders in upper limbs: agreement of different methods for estimation of body angle

• Grant number: 09/01896-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2009
• End date: May 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso Garcia
• Grantee: Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso Garcia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOAr). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the agreement on the risk of developing muscloskeletal disorders in upper limbs of undergraduate dental students with different methods for estimation of body angle. For this, undergraduate students enrolled in the nineth and tenth semesters of school of dentistry of Araraquara-Unesp, both genders, will be evaluated. Pictures of the students, during the execution of several clinical procedures, will be taken with a digital camera. The software "image tool" and the visual method will be used for the picture's analysis. Working postures adopted by each operating student will be evaluated by the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) methodology. This method uses diagrams of body postures and three scoring tables that enable the evaluation of exposition to risk factors associated to the development of muscloskeletal disorders, by the use of risk scores. pictures of students, realizing different clinical procedures, will be analyzed by a professor from the ergonomic area. At each procedure done by the student, a risk score will be given. The agreement of the evaluation regarding the risk of muscloskeletal disorders considering both methods will be applied by Kappa statistics (k). A 5% significance level will be adopted. (AU)