According to the NHS, over 20 million people in the UK suffer from musculoskeletal pain, almost a full third of its population. This statistic does not exclude those working in dentistry, far from it.
As anyone reading this is probably aware, Dentistry is physically taxing work, according to a study by Murphy DC for the NYU College of Dentistry1, almost 30% of his sample group of dentists cited muscular-skeletal pain as the reason they retired from dentistry. This is supported by a study by Burke et al2, whose 1997 study found that musculoskeletal pain is a leading cause of early retirement in dentistry, and it’s not hard to see why. In-practice work requires long periods of being on your feet, holding strenuous positions, lifting and carrying heavy items and sitting for extended periods of time. All of this can contribute to strain and cause musculoskeletal pain3. Thankfully, there are means of preventing and alleviating this pain, one of which is ensuring you’re always maintaining the right posture and using the right tools. Your spine is always in operation, and whether you’re lifting, sitting, examining, it faces additional stress when in the practice, so it makes sense to use specialist equipment for looking after your back. One well-known and respected brand for ergonomics is none other than Score Stools! Today we’ll be talking about Score Stool’s Saddle ranges and how they encourage ergonomics, potentially reducing strain, pain and fatigue.
Before we start…
We’ve written a lot of articles on important matters in the dental practice. This includes training, and preparation for potential medical emergencies in the practice, communicating effectively with patients, and staying aware of the warning signs of oral cancer. We’ve also written some commercial blogposts, such as solutions for dry mouth, and amalgam alternatives. All of our blogs are written with dentists in mind, so please explore our blog page and see if any other topics catch your eye!
What are ergonomics?
Ergonomics - also known as “Human Factors” - is the scientific discipline pertaining to understanding the interactions between humans and other elements of a system. Put simply, this is the study of how you interact with the world around you as you inject, examine, and work with your patients, as well as how you interact with the world as you disinfect and prepare your practice, any kind of work or activity you may undertake. Some more relevant examples of ergonomics in the dental practice would be applying the correct lifting form for carrying heavy loads, such carrying a tray of equipment, or picking up and handling 5-litre bottle of washer disinfector detergent or sitting correctly when doing administrative work. Sitting especially requires ergonomic support, dentists can spend hours sitting as they process administrative work, and this can put strain on the back and neck. MSK-related injuries can be an accumulation of wear and bad practice over time or be started by a single accident. These injuries can happen regardless of how strenuous a job may seem and often occur in the workplace. For example, incorrect office setups can wear on a person’s body4, just as incorrect lifting techniques can cause warehouse workers to suffer similar injuries.
Who are Score Stools?
Score Stools are specialists in creating ergonomic seating which suits people, and their roles. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Score for almost 10 years, and in that time, we’ve seen them create specialist seating for dozens of roles across the dental, medical, and industrial fields. Based in the Netherlands, Score Stools have over 45 years of experience in creating seating which works for people and enables them to do their job with reduced strain and stress.
Why Score Saddle Stools?
Score Saddle Stools are a compact answer to comfort in the practice. Practically sized, easily moved and built to encourage good posture and ergonomic habits, these stools have a variety of ergonomic design features, which suit many of the different needs you might have in the dental practice.
A dental hygienist, for example will spend a lot of time tilted over a lying down patient, trying to peer into their mouth. The head is much heavier than we often expect, and positions like this can put incredible strain on the neck and back, so learning to sit on an ergonomic stool properly, or even having a stool which tilts as you lean will help to save you from back pain. While dental hygienists face one set of issues, treatment coordinators have their own ergonomic challenges, which Score Saddle Stools can help to address. Treatment co-ordinators are extremely busy dealing with patients, their families, covering paperwork for insurance providers. This can lead to long periods of sitting, slouching, and stooping to read papers or screens. For situations like this, a Score saddle stool tailored to their build will ensure they keep making small adjustments to their posture, helping to minimise the weight put on pressure points in the back and neck.
Score Saddle Stools are bespoke made to support any role you may have in the dental practice, from operator to dental nurse.
The Amazone
The Amazone is designed for those with narrower, slimmer frames, particularly popular with women. This saddle stool brings your legs together and gently tilts your back into a natural S-position. This naturally enhances your circulation and breathing, as well as allowing for a great range of movement in the upper body, meaning you can stay busy and reach for things without twisting your spine. The design of the Amazone also encourages micro-adjustments in sitting, which helps to take the pressure that long-term sitting puts on certain joints and spreads it more evenly throughout the body. This feature makes the Amazone model ideal in jobs which require a lot of sitting without, impeding its ability to pull its weight in busy, active parts of the practice.
The Jumper
The Jumper follows the same design principles as The Amazone, encouraging better posture, allowing for a wide range of movement, enabling micro-adjustments for the sake of enhancing circulation. However, The Jumper is made with a wider seat, which makes it better for men or those with a larger frame. Again, we see the customisability of Score Stools at play. These stools are made to be custom-made for the people using them, built to accommodate their tasks and needs.
The Fabric
These saddle stools come with a stain-resistant Stamskin cover, which can be upgraded to an antibacterial material. These stools are easily disinfected and cleaned by standard dental cleaning supplies such as alcohol wipes. These Stamskin covers are available in 12 upholstery colours and can be ordered to be bicolour to suit your interior decorating style.
Balance Mechanism – Improved Motion Freedom
Some Score Saddle Stools have an adjustable ‘tilt’ balance mechanism, which allows for a small, amount of tilt when sat on. At ideal levels, this balance system will gently engage your core, encouraging you to regularly adjust and take weight off of your pressure points.
Think of it as a similar principle to a very stable yoga ball. It engages the core and requires just a small amount of balance to sit on. This, paired with the design of the Score Stool, encourages you to sit with correct posture while also making regular adjustments to how you sit. This is an excellent stool for your overall health and is perfect for those who need to sit for especially for long periods of time. You can easily adjust this tilt mechanism by turning the ring under the seat for more or less resistance, it’s advised that you adjust until the seat smoothly follows your movements as you work.
Lumbar support
Some Score Saddle Stools can be equipped with an adjustable lumbar support. These backrests are useful for those who find themselves slouching regularly. the Score stool’s corrective design, paired with lower back support allows one to sit comfortably, without encouraging bad habits which puts pressure on the joints. Particularly useful in jobs which require a mix of manual work and sitting or holding a single position for a long time while sitting, such as signing paperwork, or preparing mixed solutions.
Conclusion
Using ergonomic tools is important in any context, you might protect your wrist and arm health by using an ergonomically-shaped handpiece or endodontics motor. So, when you’re sitting for long periods of time, why wouldn’t you use a piece of ergonomic equipment to protect your back and neck from pain? Score Saddle Stools are an asset to any practitioner, allowing you to work with a reduced risk of back strain, pain or discomfort.
References -
1 - Murphy DC (NYU College of Dentistry, USA). Ergonomics and dentistry. NY State Dent J 1997 Aug-Sep;63(7):30-34.
2 - Burke FJ, Main JR, Freeman R. The practice of dentistry: an assessment of reasons for premature retirement. Br Dent J. 1997 Apr 12;182(7):250-4. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4809361. PMID: 9134812.
3 - Çınar-Medeni Ö, Elbasan B, Duzgun I. Low back pain prevalence in healthcare professionals and identification of factors affecting low back pain. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2017;30(3):451-459. doi: 10.3233/BMR-160571. PMID: 27858698.
4 - Lee S, DE Barros FC, DE Castro CSM, DE Oliveira Sato T. Effect of an ergonomic intervention involving workstation adjustments on musculoskeletal pain in office workers-a randomized controlled clinical trial. Ind Health. 2021 Mar 24;59(2):78-85. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.2020-0188. Epub 2020 Nov 28. PMID: 33250456; PMCID: PMC8010160.
