International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health

Prevalence of Probable Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and its Associated Factors among Dentists in Kelantan

Introduction: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of the common musculoskeletal problems among dental personnel.

Aim & Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of probable CTS and its association with individuals, work characteristics and psychosocial factors among government dentists in Kelantan, Malaysia.

Methods: The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted on 109 government dentists in Kelantan. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic, individuals, work characteristics, psychosocial factors andclinical diagnosis questionnaire was used. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Study respondents were categorized into ‘probable CTS’ and ‘non-probable CTS’ based on scoring of the clinical diagnosis questionnaire. The association between associated factors (individual factors, work characteristics and psychosocial job factors) and probable CTS was calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: Ninety-nine dentists completed and returned the questionnaire (response rate= 90.8%). Majority of the study respondents were female (81.8%) and Malay (93.9%). Their mean age was 32.5 years old (SD=7.32). The prevalence of probable CTS was 21.2% (95% CI: 13.0-29.4). After controlling all possible confounders by using multiple logistic regression, it was found that chronic disease and decision latitude were significantly associated with probable CTS. Suffering from a chronic disease increases the odds of having probable CTS by 26.5 (95% CI: 2.1, 334.8) times. It was also found that for every 1 unit increased in the decision latitude, the risk of having probable CTS was 0.8 (95% CI; 0.7, 0.1) times lower.

Conclusion: The prevalence of probable CTS among dentists in this study population was relatively high. Having chronic disease and low in decision latitude were significantly associated with the risk of developing probable CTS.

Author(s): Munirah MA , Normastura AR , Azizah Y , Aziah D

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