Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of a assessment method for ergonomic work posture in dentistry students

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to develop and to verify the effectiveness of the assessment method for ergonomic work posture in dentistry (MAPETO) when applied to undergraduates in Dentistry and to define a cutoff point considering the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders through RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment). Both gender students of the last year in Faculty of Dentistry of Araraquara - UNESP will be evaluated. Students' pictures will be taken during clinical procedures using a digital camera. The working postures and positions will be evaluated using the methods MAPETO and RULA. The risk of musculoskeletal disorders will be classified into low, medium, high and very high according to RULA (gold standard). The pictures taken will be analyzed by the visual method. Descriptive statistics will be performed. In order to analyze the effectiveness of the evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders risks when using different cutoff points for MAPETO, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values will be estimated. A ROC curve will be made and its area will be calculated(AUROC). The significance level adopted will be 5%.