Aftab Ahmed Khan, Adel Zia Siddiqui, Muhammad Rashid Ahmed, Hasan Askari, Ambreen Zahid.
Prevalence of carpel tunnel syndrome in the dentists working in Karachi.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;34(4):588-91.

Dentists are daily exposed to work-related vibrations in their practice. The forceful use of the hand during vibratory equipments such as scalar, turbine, slow speed hand-piece and grasping and working with other small instruments or objects such as endodontic files could all be the causative agents of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CTS in Karachi dentists. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 417 dentists were evaluated for CTS. Diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical symptoms. Participants’ age, gender, years of experience, working hours per day and the type of procedure were considered as dependent variables. Results found that percentage of CTS increases with the increasing working experience. The total prevalence among the dentists working in Karachi was 10.31%. Dental professionals should realize that their occupation is a perpetuating factor for the development of this pain. Prevention is of great importance, and intervention strategies should become an integral habit in the office and at home. Dentists should get their selves examined periodically for any sign and symptoms of CTS. Further studies are needed to confirm the present results with the use of electro diagnostic procedures and hand diagrams taking into account the possible synergistic effect of workload, vibrations use of other gadgets and sports related activities.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com