Risk Factors and Prevalence of Occupational Musculoskeletal Pain among Endodontists in the United States.

Introduction: A musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) of pain, weakness, numbness, or paresthesia is a common issue for dental health care providers. The aims of this study were to (1) identify the prevalence of MSDs among endodontists in the United States, (2) to identify risk factors of MSDs among United States endodontists, and (3) to compare these findings with other published findings for dental providers.

Methods: A 24-question survey regarding the demographics, potential risk factors, and prevalence of MSDs was formulated and distributed to 5394 members of the American Association of Endodontists.

Anesthetic efficacy of articaine for combination labial plus lingual infiltrations versus labial infiltration in the mandibular lateral incisor.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown higher success rates when using an articaine formulation versus a lidocaine formulation for buccal mandibular first molar infiltrations. However, there is little information on articaine's effect in mandibular anterior teeth.

Methods: The authors conducted a prospective, randomized, single-blind, crossover study comparing the degree of pulpal anesthesia obtained with 2 sets of mandibular lateral incisor infiltrations given in 2 separate appointments in 82 adult subjects.

Inpatient medical rehabilitation: results of the 1981 survey of hospitals and units.

This paper analyzed the results of the American Hospital Association's (AHA) 1981 survey of inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitals and units, which obtained information for 1980, and notes important differences from the patterns revealed by the survey when it was first conducted in 1979. The survey sample consisted of 554 hospitals, 334 of which responded to the questionnaire. Three categories of these hospitals (independent rehabilitation hospitals, self-contained rehabilitation hospitals within larger medical centers, and defined rehabilitation units of institutions) are examined in terms of utilization, referral sources of their admissions, places to which their patients were discharged, composition of their full-time equivalent professional medical staff, and sources of payment for inpatient claims.