Effect of Tool Design on Hand Pain in Dental Practitioners

NCT01332760 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: H5534-32614R01OH008892
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 110
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Dentists and dental hygienists experience elevated rates of musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, primarily due to the high pinch force required for dental scaling. There is evidence that a lighter and larger diameter tool can significantly reduce the pinch force. This randomized controlled study will determine if dentists or dental hygienists who use such a tool report less hand and arm pain compared to those who continue to use the conventional tool design.

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Keywords

ergonomics; workplace; occupational; tool; dental; dentist

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• change from baseline in right shoulder pain score at 4 months

  peak pain assessed on 0-10 scale using end of week questionnaire

  4 months after intervention

• Change from baseline in right elbow pain at 4 months

  peak pain assessed on 0-10 scale using end of week questionnaire

  4 months after intervention

• change from baseline in right wrist pain at 4 months

  peak pain assessed on 0-10 scale using end of week questionnaire

  4 months after intervention

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• change in pain medication usage

  pre-intervention compared to post intervention

• change in nights per week waken from sleep due to finger numbness

  pre-intervention compared to post intervention

Study Arms (2)

narrow diameter heavy dental tool

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

periodontal tools for dental scaling and cleaning provided that have a narrow diameter (8mm) made of heavy material (steel).

Other: narrow diameter heavy dental tool

light large diameter dental tool

EXPERIMENTAL

periodontal tools for scaling and tooth cleaning provided with large diameter (11mm) handle made of light weight material

Other: large diameter light weight tool

Interventions

narrow diameter heavy dental tool OTHER

8mm diameter, heavy periodontal tool made from steel

Also known as: traditional tool

narrow diameter heavy dental tool

large diameter light weight tool OTHER

Periodontal tools (4-8) provided to dental practitioners to use for all dental scaling or cleaning. This tool handle diameter is 11 mm diameter and it is made from lightweight Delrin.

Also known as: intervention tool

light large diameter dental tool

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• dentists and dental hygienists from the San Francisco Bay Area
• dental practitioners who perform more than 10 hours of dental hygiene work per week
• dental practitioners who have been performing dental hygiene work for more than 1 year

You may not qualify if:

• not currently under a physician's care for treatment of an upper extremity disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco: lead

Study Sites (1)

UCSF Ergonomics Program

Richmond, California, 94804, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arthralgia; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• David Rempel, MD, MPH

  University of California, San Francisco

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 6, 2011
• First Posted: April 11, 2011
• Study Start: April 1, 2009
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2011
• Study Completion: March 1, 2011
• Last Updated: February 22, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-02

Locations

US (1)