Visual Acuity Is Key to Successful Patient Outcomes
The profession of dental hygiene is visually demanding. During clinical patient care, a dental hygienist relies on optimal visual acuity to conduct thorough periodontal assessments,…
Category: Ergonomics
Incorporate Loupes Into Your Practice
Clinical practice places tremendous pressure on the body and vision of dental professionals.1 During a single dental appointment, an oral health professional must thoroughly examine the…
Instrument Design for Optimal Hand Health
The practice of dental hygiene is well known for its occupational hazards leading to high prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Research has revealed 60%…
Resistance Training for Health
Dental hygienists and dentists experience a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD)-related pain, which is often a result of repetitive movements and excessive overloading of…
Posture Is Important
By Nyree Dawson, RDH, BSDH, MPH and LaTesha McLee, MSDH, RDH Many dental hygienists are plagued by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and pain throughout their careers.1 The reported prevalence…
Improve the Ergonomics of Your Instrumentation
By Martha J. McComas, RDH, MS Dental hygienists must maintain prolonged static postures, often in awkward positions, and make repetitive small motor movements of the…
Ergonomic Equipment Considerations for the Dental Hygienist
Making informed decisions about the use of loupes, seating alternatives, and instrument selection in order to improve ergonomics is key to career long…
Basic Prevention and Management of Common Musculoskeletal Disorders
By Brian J. Wilkinson, PT, DPT, CHT, CLT; Holly Erenfeld, RDH, EPDH, MDH; and Amy Coplen, RDH, EPDH, MS About 96% of dental hygienists experience…