Introduction:

Very little is said about bad posture in daily clinical practice and its consequences on the health of dental professionals in the short and long term; the practice of this profession implies being constantly exposed to certain occupational health problems.

Objective:

To determine the frequency of the different postures that generate body discomfort in relation to the specialty and the analysis of musculoskeletal disorders and their association with the years of the profession in dental teachers at the Universidad Regional Autónoma de Los Andes.

Method:

The research was observational, transversal and descriptive. A survey was applied in January 2023 to a group of 46 dental professionals, determined as an intentional non-probabilistic sample. The non-parametric Pearson's Chi-square test was considered, which due to the nature of its qualitative variables tested possible associations between them.

Results:

Of all the possible associations between the variables, the one that was notably significant corresponded to the time of profession and the discomforts mainly detected in the lower back and neck; which would denote that the longer the clinical practice lasts, the greater the discomfort detected as part of forced postures adopted by professionals.

Conclusions:

A significant association or relationship was found between years of profession and the symptoms detected in the dental professionals surveyed; which indicates that the longer the time spent in clinical practice, the greater the potential for ergonomic problems. It is important to consider the application of intervention measures to improve aspects of occupational health, ergonomics and postural hygiene.

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