Chapter objectives

• Learn the history of ergonomics and concepts of work enhancement

• Understand the importance of ergonomics in work processes within dental practice

• Address ergonomic risks in dentistry

• Address benefits of applied ergonomics within dental practice

• Understand applied body biomechanics in dentistry

• Understand anthropometric factors in the design of equipment used

• Apply ergonomic interventions to avoid musculoskeletal risk factors

Background of Ergonomics

Definitions

There are currently several definitions for this science. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States (OSHA),ergonomics can be defined as the study of work. More specifically, it is the science that deals with adapting work to the worker, rather than physically forcing the worker’s body to fit the job. It can also be defined as the development and application of a human-system interface that is responsible for the interactions between the human and other elements of a system, such as hardware, software, environment, work, organizational structure, and processes.1

Ergonomics andhuman factors are two scientific disciplines that have the common objective of minimizing the risks of injury and disease by optimizing human well-being and creating the holistic conditions for the worker to perform the work efficiently and well. The difference between the two terms is that ergonomics addresses the physical aspect of work and human factors addresses the psychologic aspect.2

History

Ergonomics is the integration of a number of diverse scientific disciplines, including physiology, biomechanics, psychology, anthropometry, industrial hygiene, and kinesiology, among others.3 This science studies musculoskeletal health and its effect on worker performance.4 With the Industrial Revolution, our society shifted from one based on manual/agricultural production to one based on industry. Accompanying this change was a shift of work from active and dynamic tasks to sedentary tasks thanks to innovations such as machine and computer power.

The momentum of ergonomic advances was due to people such as Bernadino Ramazzini, better known as the father of occupational medicine, who studied medicine with a particular interest in occupational diseases. He was the first to correlate work activities with musculoskeletal disorders. Another contributor to the development of ergonomics as a field was Frederick Taylor, who applied principles of science to improve work efficiency (ie, the scientific study of work). Over the years, countless inventions and concepts have been developed to modernize processes, make them more efficient, and improve the quality of life of the worker.5

Since the Industrial Revolution, new ways of working have been imposed in the different societies of the world, acc