Difference of head postures of the dentists between dental treatment and desk work measured by a portable wireless accelerometer

It has been said that the dentists are working in hard circumstances especially about their working posture. But to conclude that the work is heavy, we must know the precise data of the posture movement. So, we developed a wireless accelerometer which can be used in the dental work. The object of this study is to examine the applicability of the device and to measure and analyze the posture of the dentists in work. The 2 axis accelerometer was put on the ear of the dentist. The digital signal was sent to a portable Bluetooth transmitter with a battery power supply in a pocket of the subjects. By the Bluetooth protocol signal the data was transmitted to a computer wirelessly. Five dentists were the candidates of this project and the pitching and rolling movements of their head posture were measured while they were working in dental treatment and in desk work. The device showed enough applicability in the dental work. The data of the posture were analyzed as time distribution of the inclination angle. In dental work the posture showed wider distribution than the posture in desk work (standard deviation of the pitching 16.7°, 8.6° and the rolling, 14.7°, 5.6°, respectively). The distribution of the pitching movement showed ventral bent of the neck in dental work. This showed postural difference between in dental work and desk work. The data will be an evidence of the hard work condition of the dentists.