Extra-Academical Engagements Promoting Dexterity as a Part of Modified Dental Ergonomics

Background- Dexterity provides the versatility and range of hand activities that provide the capability to follow a wider range of ergonomics. Poor dexterity has also been associated with frequent myofascial pain, especially for practising dentists. Aim - To assess dental students' awareness, practice, and attitude towards implementing ergonomics through extra academical activities promoting or complimenting dexterity exercises. Methods- A crosssectional study was conducted among 210 dental students of various dental colleges in India. A self-administered, closed-ended questionnaire was used to assess dental students' awareness, practice, and attitude towards dexterity incorporated ergonomics. Results- Data was collected from a total of 210 people. 150 female and 61 male students. Overall knowledge, practice and attitude are 46%, 46% and 64%, respectively. A positive correlation was found between knowledge and attitude and practice and between attitude and practice with 'r' values of 0.2479, 0.1794 and 0.3683, respectively. Conclusion- The awareness of ergonomics among the dental students was not as high as expected; the implementation of exercises concerning dexterity was mostly done subconsciously or not at all. However, there was a positive response regarding activities that can include ergonomic-based exercises, showing a considerable increase in students' interest in performing activities incorporating dexterity rather than the exercises themselves