Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Productivity Loss Among Dental Professionals in South West Nigeria

Dental professionals experience elevated rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) due to sustained awkward postures, precision manual tasks, and prolonged static work. Despite this, productivity implications of WRMSDs in Nigerian dental practice remain unquantified. This analytical study examined the prevalence of WRMSDs and their association with productivity loss among dental professionals in selected tertiary health institutions in South West Nigeria, covering Oyo, Osun, and Ekiti States. A total of 280 dentists and dental therapists were recruited by census. The Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire were administered. Prevalence of WRMSDs was 78.6 percent over the past 12 months, with neck (65.4%), lower back (58.9%), and shoulder (52.1%) most affected. Presenteeism-based productivity loss averaged 34.2 percent of work hours, while absenteeism days attributed to WRMSDs were 8.7 days per respondent annually. Prolonged dental chair-side time exceeding six hours, absence of ergonomic seating, and non-use of magnification loupes were the strongest predictors of WRMSD severity. Logistic regression confirmed that every additional year of clinical practice increased WRMSD risk by 14.3 percent. This study contributes productivity-linked empirical data to WRMSD literature for Nigerian dental professionals and recommends ergonomic training in dental education curricula, equipment subsidy programs, and occupational health policies for tertiary health institution dental departments. Keywords: musculoskeletal disorders, dentists, productivity loss, ergonomics, South West Nigeria.