LEVELS OF HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH NECK PAIN AND THUMB RADIAL ABDUCTION ANGLE AMONG DENTISTS WORKING AT DENTAL INSTITUTES OF PESHAWAR

Abstract

Background: Handgrip strength is the fundamental unit required by dentists for fulfilling their professional responsibilities. Dentists are prone to suffering from neck pain because of their awkward working postures. Neck pain is thought to have a significant impact upon the hand grip strength, and dentists are suggested to have a severe decrease in hand grip strength because of the prevalence of neck pain. In Saudi Arabia, 21.69% of dentists are reported to drop out of their jobs annually because of neck pain. It is important to determine the association between neck pain and hand grip strength. Thumb musculature plays a significant role in determining the hand grip strength of an individual. So, it must be determined that if the deviation of thumb radial abduction angle from normal, has any association with the hand grip strength in dentists. Objectives: To determine the levels of hand grip strength among dentists working at dental institutes of Peshawar (RCD and SBDC). To determine the association between neck pain and hand grip strength in dentists. To find out the association between thumb radial abduction angle and hand grip strength among the dentists. Methodology: 231 dentists were selected from the dental institutes of Peshawar, using convenience sampling method. Handheld dynamometer was used to measure the hand grip strength, and the best of three measurements were recorded as result. ACSM guidelines were followed for the normal values of handgrip strength in each gender. Neck pain was recorded using NPRS, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain possible. A short arm universal goniometer was used to measure the thumb radial abduction angle, the normal range being 53-71°. Results:36.8% of the participants had a weak hand grip strength. No association was found between neck pain and hand grip strength. There was also no association between thumb radial abduction angle and hand grip strength. The factors proven to be significantly associated with handgrip strength are gender (p=0.011), age (p=0.000), and the years of experience of the dentists (p=0.009). Conclusion: No association exists between neck pain and handgrip strength, as well as no association between thumb radial abduction angle and hand grip strength. Weak grip strength was more prevalent among the dentists (36.8%).