Comparison of the risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc between dentists and other occupations: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

DOI PDF Web Site Web Site Web Site 26 References
  • Huang Wei-Ta
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying
  • Weng Shih-Feng
    Department of Healthcare Administration and Medical Informatics, Kaohsiung Medical University Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital
  • Hsu Chien-Chin
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology
  • Lin Hung-Jung
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Medical University
  • Su Shih-Bin
    Department of Occupational Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center Department of Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Management, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology
  • Wang Jhi-Joung
    Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center
  • Huang Chien-Cheng
    Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center Department of Senior Services, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University

Search this article

Description

<p>Objectives: Dentists may have a higher risk of developing lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD) due to prolonged sitting and improper postures during work. We conducted this study to delineate this issue, which is still unclear.</p><p>Methods: This nationwide population-based study was conducted using Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 10 734 dentists, 72 066 non-dentist health-care providers (HCPs), and an identical number of age- and gender-matched participants from the general population. The risk of developing lumbar HIVD among dentists, non-dentist HCPs, and general population was compared by tracing their medical histories between 2007 and 2011.</p><p>Results: The cumulative incidence rate of lumbar HIVD among dentists during the 5-year follow-up period was 1.40%. After adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities, the risk of developing lumbar HIVD was found to be lower among dentists than that among the general population (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64-1.00) and non-dentist HCPs (AOR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68-0.96).</p><p>Conclusions: Dentists in Taiwan have a lower risk of developing lumbar HIVD than that among other occupations. Although this result is different from the general cognition, it does not imply that the prevention of lumbar HIVD in dentists is not important. Further studies are warranted to better address this issue.</p>

Journal

References(26)*help

See more

Keywords

Report a problem

Back to top