{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T05:04:46Z","timestamp":1780031086457,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780012800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Dental professionals are at risk of developing various occupational diseases and disorders, with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) being the most prevalent. This study examines the level of knowledge among dental hygienists (students, interns, and licensed practitioners) regarding dental ergonomic practices and investigates the prevalence, common locations, and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). A self-administered and validated bilingual (English\/Arabic) questionnaire was constructed utilizing Google Forms and distributed to participants across all regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included 35 closed-ended items and two open-ended questions, organized into three sections: demographic and professional data, ergonomic practices, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.22.0. Descriptive statistics summarized categorical variables; chi-square tests enabled comparative analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was also performed to adjust for potential confounding variables. A total of 334 participants completed the survey. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders were reported by 95.3% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f201) of licensed dental hygienists and 80.5% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f99) of students, with the neck and lower back identified as the most affected regions. The most frequently reported pain site for both genders was the neck [females 63.4% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f117); males 64.9% (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f96)], and tension neck syndrome was the most commonly diagnosed condition across the cohort (32.47%). Despite awareness of ergonomic principles, adherence to proper ergonomic practices remains limited. The findings emphasize the need for structured ergonomic education, early preventive interventions, and evidence-based workplace strategies to reduce occupational strain and improve the long-term health and professional sustainability of dental hygienists.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1816571","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T04:43:58Z","timestamp":1780029838000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessment of dental ergonomics knowledge and prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental hygienists in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Rasha N.","family":"Alotaibi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haneen","family":"Al-ayyaf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Hygiene Program, Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarraa","family":"Alshibani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Hygiene Program, Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed I.","family":"Hashem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1080\/02678373.2011.614069","article-title":"The impact of work-related psychosocial stressors on the onset of musculoskeletal disorders in specific body regions: a review and meta-analysis of 54 longitudinal studies","volume":"25","author":"Hauke","year":"2011","journal-title":"Work Stress"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.4103\/2321-4848.154966","article-title":"Dental ergonomics: basic steps to enhance work efficiency","volume":"3","author":"Shaik","year":"2015","journal-title":"Arch Med Health Sci"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)","year":"2009"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0123750","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0123750","article-title":"Comparisons of musculoskeletal disorders among ten different medical professions in Taiwan: a nationwide, population-based study","volume":"10","author":"Wang","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2163","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)61729-2","article-title":"Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010","volume":"380","author":"Vos","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"192","DOI":"10.1539\/joh.48.192","article-title":"Work characteristics and upper extremity disorders in female dental health workers","volume":"48","author":"Lindfors","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Occup Health"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"456","DOI":"10.5144\/0256-4947.2015.456","article-title":"Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists in the hail region of Saudi Arabia","volume":"35","author":"Aljanakh","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ann Saudi Med"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1601-5037.2009.00395.x","article-title":"A systematic review of musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals","volume":"7","author":"Hayes","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int J Dent Hyg"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1016\/S0020-6539(20)34215-5","article-title":"An international review of musculoskeletal disorders in the dental hygiene profession","volume":"60","author":"Hayes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int Dent J"},{"key":"ref10","first-page":"10","article-title":"General health of dentists. 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