Ergonomics For A Long And Healthy Dental Career! 234

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It’s A Tale of Two Hygienists’ monthly student roundtable episode, which means Andrew and Michelle have invited a quartet of guests to educate student listeners on a chosen topic. This month’s student roundtable introduces ATotH’s new series for July: ergonomics.

Emily Boge, RDH, is the dental administrative chair at Hawkeye Community College and also serves as the program chairs for dental assisting and dental hygiene. Lancette Van Guilder has practiced dental hygiene for a quarter of a century and currently splits her time between private practice and working as a continuing education speaker, including courses on ergonomics. She’s part of a “power team” with her husband, Ward, a physical therapist who specializes in occupational health and wellness.

In this episode, our guests discuss the essentials of posture, examine a study on impact of poor posture, and explain what you can do to feel as hale and hearty 20 years down the road as you are now.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Interview starts: 3:38

– Lancette and Ward discuss an article on the long term effects of poor posture on muscle imbalances among dental hygienists.

– The “cone of stability” and how sitting and standing have different effects on your body.

– Why even veteran hygienists can benefit from having a student shadow them for a little while.

– Emily expresses her concern about the lack of consistency in teaching ergonomics among hygiene schools.

– The importance of resting your feet on the ground and not on the chair legs when sitting down.

QUOTES:

“The goal of ergonomic training and education is [a] neutral working position.”

“The vast majority of dental hygienists do not work in a neutral position.”

“If I have one thing to say to the students that are listening, it’s that you need to advocate to the people who make the decisions.”

“It is a lot harder to unteach a bad habit than it is to learn it the right way.”