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When you think of ergonomics, you often think of the equipment you wear, hold or sit upon. However, the equipment that surrounds you can have just as great an impact as the equipment that is in constant contact with your body. The dental chair can greatly impact operator posture and must allow close positioning for the dentist. Delivery systems are just as key, since different styles have different effects on the operator’s body mechanics, sometimes resulting in movement dysfunction, shoulder, joint or low back problems.

Of course it’s important that your patient is comfortable during treatment, but when you compare how many hours a year the average patient spends in a dental chair, with the time the average dentist spends hovering over it, who’s the one really at risk of developing discomfort or pain?

As the problem of work-related pain and injuries among dentists has come to the forefront in the profession, manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the ergonomic features of patient chairs from the professionals’ point of view. These include features which facilitate neutral posture of the spine, shoulder, elbow and wrist; and limit excessive reaching. It’s now widely recognised that close proximity is key.