Positioning the dental assistant.
Dental chair thigh parallel to the floor.
This paradigm for seated work has been widely accepted for generations and may be due in part to the design of early operator chairs which featured a flat nonadjustable seat design.
For years clinicians sat on whatever kind of chair or stool the dental practice supplied.
Thighs parallel to the floor or knees slightly lower than the hips feet flat on the floor backrest of the chair positioned to support the lower portion or small of the back operator s forearms bent at the elbow and parallel to the floor.
Word is getting out that saddle seating is a healthy option for the workplace.
This postition is different for every operator.
The focus however is usually on matching fabrics and colors rather than on the safety and comfort of the clinician who sits on the.
An operator chair that supports the dental hygienist and is properly adjusted helps maintain the desired low back curve.
Most seat pans are designed so the user s thighs stay parallel to the floor.
Most dentists and hygienists were taught to sit with their thighs parallel to the floor or their hips at a 90 degree angle fig.
Feet on the foot ring of the stool as close as possible to the dental chair legs parallel to the patients chair 4 6 inches above operators eye level.
Most of us were taught to sit with our thighs parallel to the floor a dangerous posture that flattens out the natural curve of the lower back.
Many seat pans on traditional stools have a very defined hard edge where the seat pan top meets the edge of the seat which cuts off the circulation in the back of the leg.
The height of the chair is low enough for the heels of the feet to rest on the floor.
Actually not just saddle but any seating option that allows the user to maintain an s curve in the lumbar region.
Movement of fingers and wrist.
Most dental offices have chairs with flat seat pans.
Typically clinician chairs were and still are a part of the package anytime an office orders new patient chairs.
Sitting in a traditional seat with the thighs parallel to the floor flattens the lumbar spine creating undue stress on the entire musculoskeletal system.
2 thighs parallel to the floor 3 feet flat on the floor 4 back rest of chair positioned to support lower portion or small of the back 5 height of chair adjusted to keep operators forearms parallel to the floor.
This type of chair requires the thighs to be parallel to the floor with the hip angle at 90 degrees.