When it comes to health and safety in the workplace, dental practitioners need to make sure their practice is compliant and safe for both employees and patients. Back and neck pain is common in a dental practice, as is repetitive strain injury, or RSI. Here are a few ways you can avoid injury during your working hours.
- Avoid Repetitive Rotational Movements
As mentioned earlier, dental practitioners can experience back and neck pain at work. Back and neck pain is common due to your posture and repetitive movements while working. Repetitive rotational movements can occur when you consistently turn to pick up instruments while working on a patient’s mouth. To avoid this, try to sit at the head of the patient’s chair so that you don’t need to turn and strain while working constantly. In addition, you can position your patient close to your mid-line to achieve a stable position and reduce the load on your cervical spine. A dental chair that can be adjusted to a workable position and height will help you be more comfortable while you work.
- Prevent RSI with Specialist Equipment
RSI occurs when the same activity is performed for a long period. For dentists, this activity often involves poor posture and awkward body positioning. The risk of developing RSI increases when working with vibrating equipment in a cold environment. Being anxious and stressed out can also worsen the condition. To avoid strain injuries in the dental practice, you can purchase ergonomic equipment designed to prevent this type of injury. This type of specialist equipment can help ease the strain on muscles, tendons, and nerves. For instance, there are handheld instruments, such as spatulas and bone files, that have a softer grip and are shaped to fit comfortably in the hand. This type of design can help reduce fatigue.
- Portable Dental Operating Lights
Investing in portable dental operating lights that are easy to move about while you work, is beneficial for a dental practice. Not only will this type of equipment give you optimal light while you work on a patient’s mouth, but its portable nature can also help prevent back and neck pain, by positioning the light exactly where you need it without stretching to work around it.
- PPE in the Workplace
When it comes to health and safety in a dental practice, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a major role. PPE is used to protect both the patient and the employee, and you should have different types of PPE in your practice. Sterile, single-use gloves should be worn throughout a treatment to protect you from picking up and spreading infection. At the same time, face masks can help reduce splatter on your face. Additionally, protective glasses and visors should be worn when treating a patient and when cleaning dental instruments. You should also offer patients protective glasses to avoid foreign bodies from entering their eyes during treatment. To prevent their clothes from getting dirty, you can also give them a protective bib.