dentistry is a mostly a social interaction between a dentist and the patient in their limited job setting and with personal characteristics . a healthy dentist is one of the most important components in a successful dental practice . like all other professionals , dentists are exposed to occupational health hazards which predispose them to develop a multitude of health problems . maintaining the steady hand and posture by the dentist comes at a cost to the health of the dentist . high frequency of musculoskeletal disorders ( msds ) in dentists has been reported in the literature . a recent review of the literature that examined the prevalence and risk factors of msds in dentists reported that the prevalence of general musculoskeletal pain in dental professionals ranges between 64% and 93% . there are many factors that contribute to msds in dental professionals , including repetitive motion , pinch - grasp , vibration , force , and awkward positions , sitting for a long period of time , operator position , poor posture , lack of flexibility and strength , poor ergonomics , and insufficient work breaks . it is generally agreed that the physical posture of the dentist should be relaxed while they work . dentists can , and do , experience illnesses and problems that can disrupt or impair their practice . career and job satisfaction are the indicators that may have an influence on career longevity . change in the work environment of the dentist might increase his / her career longevity . complementary and alternative medicine ( cam ) , as defined by national centre for complementary and alternative medicine ( nccam ) , is a group of diverse medical and health care systems , practices , and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine . a large number of patients using cam are those who suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain . many studies have reported cam therapies , including yoga , ayurveda , homeopathy , reiki , acupressure , massage , prayers , and acupuncture , to be effective in managing chronic musculoskeletal pain and other discomforts in the general population . there are currently no reports that link musculoskeletal pain , cam , and career satisfaction among dentists working in western india . since a large number of dentists all over the world report msds , this study was conducted in western india with an aim to determine if dentists are using cam therapies to manage their msds and , if so , to determine if cam therapies are associated with their job satisfaction and longevity , compared with conventional therapy users . the survey was conducted with the approval of the institutional review board of teerthankar mahaveer university ( tmu ) . dentists registered under indian dental association ( ida ) were recruited to complete an 21-item questionnaire under 5 domains . a pilot study was conducted among dentists working in the teerthankar mahaveer dental college and research centre . following these pilot tests , the questionnaire was further modified and was uploaded on the web - based survey software . all dentists of western india who are current members of the ida were recruited to participate . the final version of the questionnaire was formatted using web - based survey software for electronic distribution . this study included all registered dentists residing in western india with their e - mail addresses ( n = 2166 ) . dentists were sent the link to their e - mail address for competing the survey . dentists who participated in the pilot study , dental students , members of the general public , dental hygienists , dental assistants , and others who were not registered dentists were excluded . the questionnaire consisted of five domains : demographic profile of the dentist , experience with musculoskeletal pain , use of conventional therapies or use of cam therapies for its management , opinions about cam and conventional therapies , and job / career satisfaction related to cam . univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to determine the demographic information , frequently reported areas of location of pain , the number of respondents that used cam or conventional therapies , types of cam or conventional therapies frequently used , work disruption caused by msds , and job satisfaction by using cam and conventional therapies . association between conventional therapy and cam use in relation to career variables was assessed using odds ratio ( or ) . independent samples t - tests were used to determine the opinions about cam and conventional therapies for msd management . univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to determine the demographic information , frequently reported areas of location of pain , the number of respondents that used cam or conventional therapies , types of cam or conventional therapies frequently used , work disruption caused by msds , and job satisfaction by using cam and conventional therapies . association between conventional therapy and cam use in relation to career variables was assessed using odds ratio ( or ) . independent samples t - tests were used to determine the opinions about cam and conventional therapies for msd management . a total of 2166 survey e - mails were sent electronically , with a response rate of 73% ( n = 1581 ) . the nonrespondents were assumed to be similar to the respondents based on the notion that the group under study was somewhat a homogeneous group . findings of the demographic status of the dentists showed that a majority of the study population was males ( 75.7% ) and worked primarily in their own private dental clinics ( 85.7% ) . a total of 79% ( n = 1249 ) reported having msds , with the mean duration of pain being 8.3 years ( median = 3.5 ) . neck and lower back were the most common sites , followed by shoulders , upper back , wrist , elbow / arm , knee , hips , and legs . demographic characteristics of the dentists percentage of dentist reported pain by location figure 2 shows work disruption among dentists as a result of msds . when comparison was made between individuals who used cam therapies or conventional therapy alone and those individuals who used both cam and conventional therapies , the latter group had 4 times lower odds of temporarily quitting work for longer than 1 month [ or = 3.4 , 95% confidence interval ( ci ) = 1.7 - 17.8 ] . work disruption among dentist due to msd figure 3 depicts the use of cam modalities by dentists . about 81% ( n = 1012 ) dentists reported using both cam and conventional therapies most frequently to manage msds . also , of the 1249 individuals who reported msds , 31% ( n = 388 ) used cam therapies alone , 19% ( n = 238 ) used conventional therapies alone , and 3% ( n = 38 ) did not use any therapy . dentists degree of pain improved significantly after using cam therapies versus conventional therapies ( p = 0.004 ) . dentists who suffered from musculoskeletal pain agreed 3 times more that cam therapies were acceptable for msd management ( or = 3.7 , 95% ci = 2.7 - 3.9 ) than those with no pain , and were 3 times more likely to use cam therapies for msd management ( or = 3.4 , 95% ci = 1.4 - 5.9 ) . table 2 depicts the job / career satisfaction among dentists who used cam therapies and conventional therapies . dentists who believed in cam therapies and used them alone had significantly higher odds of agreeing that they were satisfied with their career as a dentist ( or = 3.2 , 95% ci = 1.5 - 5.7 ) and that it contributed to career longevity ( or = 1.92 , 95% ci = 1.4 - 7.3 ) , increased overall health ( or = 1.67 , 95% ci = 1.11 - 6.1 ) , and improved the working efficiency ( or = 2.37 , 95% ci = 1.1 - 7.3 ) , and thus were satisfied with the job ( or = 1.51 , 95% ci = 1.7 - 7.3 ) when compared to users of conventional therapies . older dentists had significantly high rate of cam usage than younger dentists ( or = 2.17 , 95% ci = 1.157 - 1.007 ) . dentists who never used cam reported poorer general health when compared to cam users ( or = 1.16 , 95% ci = 1.06 - 2.4 ) . there were no statistically significant differences when controlling for race , type of degree earned , and number of years of practice . cam use among dentist with msd association between conventional therapy and cam usage with job / career satisfaction many different types of cam therapies , including whole medical systems ( homeopathic and naturopathic medicine ) , mind  body medicine ( meditation , prayer , and mental healing ) , biologically based practices ( ayurveda / herbal products ) , manipulative and body - based medicine ( chiropractic care and massage ) , and energy medicine ( reiki and therapeutic touch ) are practiced worldwide . many plants are used in various formulations such as decoctions , powders , medicated oils , paste , etc . ayurvedic drugs like zingiber officinale , (  shng jing ) , ricinus communis , commiphora mukul , boswellia serrata , nyctanthes arbor - tristis , etc . modern research scientists have conducted many scientific researches to assess the safety , efficacy , and anti - inflammatory potential of these drugs . deep breathing exercises involve slow , deep breaths through the nose for 10 sec , followed by a complete exhalation for 10 sec for at least 5 cycles . meditation is a practice in which an individual attempts to keep the mind clear and free from any other thoughts . massage therapist uses the technique of massage to adjust the muscles , which helps in relaxation . yoga practitioners had less muscle weakness than compared to non practitioners .. acupuncture may also be sometimes used for treating msds . it involves using thin , metallic needles to penetrate the skin at different anatomical points of the body . even in optimal seated postures , more than one - half of the body 's muscles are contracted statically and there is little movement of the vertebral joints . this may result in damaging physiological changes that can lead to back , neck , or shoulder pain or msds . the term  musculoskeletal disorder  is used to describe a wide range of injuries to the tendons , ligaments , nerves , and supporting structures . chronic musculoskeletal pain appears after only a few years of clinical practice , or even during second or third year of undergraduate training . cam therapies have been effective in reducing the risk of and treating musculoskeletal pain in the general population for several decades . in our study , individuals who used cam therapies alone were less likely to report temporarily quitting work . therefore , a dentist who uses cam therapies may reduce work interruptions caused by musculoskeletal pain . according to the present study , dentists who do not suffer from musculoskeletal pain experience higher job satisfaction when compared to those who suffer from msds ( dentist using cam therapies alone had greater career satisfaction compared to those who used conventional therapies alone . therefore , dentists using cam therapies for msd management experienced higher satisfaction and longevity when compared to those using conventional therapies . the most favored cam therapies among participants in the current study were massage , herbal supplements , and yogic exercises . therefore , no effective gender comparison can be made . to date , no studies have examined the use of cam for msds among dentists and its association with career satisfaction ; therefore , the results of this study can not be compared with any other similar study . similar to other studies , our study also reported maximum musculoskeletal complaints in the neck and lower back region . most of the dentists ( 81% ) reported use of both cam and conventional therapies in a complementary way for the treatment of musculoskeletal problems . the hectic schedule of the dentists leaves them with no time to practice mind  body techniques and other cam - related modalities to treat their musculoskeletal pain . various researches have been conducted on the characteristics of cam users and the determinants of cam use . some researches show that utilization of cam is influenced by an individual 's personality , family and friends , and socioeconomic factors such as race / culture , education , and economic level . dentists must practice some sort of exercise in their day - to - day routine , including yoga , to be relieved from the problem of musculoskeletal pain . dentists using cam therapies reported they had greater overall health and more life satisfaction compared to conventional therapy users . cam education should be incorporated in the dental curriculum to train the budding dentists about better management of msds . education and additional research are needed to promote an understanding of the complexity of the problem and to address the problem 's multifactorial nature . knowledge and training of alternative therapies is very much required among professionals , especially dentists , so that they can use these therapies as a preventive and treatment modality for chronic pain emerging in day - to - day life and prolong their career .
musculoskeletal problems have become a significant issue in the profession of dentistry . 
 there are currently no recommended effective disease - preventing and modifying remedies . 
 high prevalence rates for musculoskeletal disorders ( msds ) among dentists have been reported in the literature . 
 complementary and alternative medicine can be helpful in managing and preventing the msds . 
 the purpose of this study was to determine if dentists in the western part of india are using complementary and alternative medicine therapies for msds , and also to find if those who use complementary and alternative medicine therapies have greater job / career satisfaction compared to conventional therapy ( ct ) users . 
 dentists of western india registered under the dental council of india ( n = 2166 ) were recruited for the study . 
 data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses and logistic regression . 
 a response rate of 73% ( n = 1581 ) was obtained , of which 79% ( n = 1249 ) was suffering from msds . 
 the use of complementary and alternative medicine or ct was reported by 90% ( n = 1124 ) of dentists with msds . 
 dentists using complementary and alternative medicine reported greater health ( p < 0.001 ) and carrier satisfaction ( p 
 < 0.001 ) and were able to work as many hours they wanted ( p < 0.001 ) compared to ct users . 
 complementary and alternative medicine therapies may improve the quality of life and enhance job satisfaction for a dentist who suffers from msds .