Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and shoulders are the most common reported complaints in sitting occupations such as dentistry. These disorders, in addition to create pain, can cause the impairment of postural control mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the postural stability disorder and the forward head posture (FHP) in the dentists. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 70 dentists from two dental centers in Tehran were investigated. Individual and job characteristics were collected by means of a questionnaire. The head position was examined with clinical testing of forward head posture. The Romberg equilibrium and its 3 modified tests were used to evaluate the static stability and the stepping test was applied to evaluate the dynamic stability. The Pearson's correlation coefficient and the independent t-test were used to examine the relationship of variables and to investigate the difference of stability variables between patients and healthy groups. Results: Based on results, 57.1% of studied dentists were diagnosed as forward head posture patients. According to the results of the independent t-test, there were significant differences in the average of the holding time in the static stability tests and the deviation degrees from the normal range in the dynamic equilibrium test between FHP and healthy groups (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Observed differences between the results of stability tests in healthy and patient groups confirm the hypothesis that FHP could has a negative effect on postural stability.