Dental Assistant Manual Tasks and Sharps Exposures
ViVA’s discovery revealed the sources of musculoskeletal and mental health risks for AIN staff, enabling targeted re-design.
PROJECT LEAD
PROJECT TEAM
PARTNERED WITH
ErgoAnalyst
Context
Dental Assistant (DA) staff vital to quality dental service provision. Dental clinics must care for these staff amid staffing and skills shortages.
Challenge
A leading, national dental care provider sought insights on dental assistant hazard exposures. The focus was on manual tasks and sharps injury risks.
Approach
ViVA examined DA roles across their manual, cognitive, and psychosocial task demands, focussing also on sharps exposures. The review combined literature, site-based evidence, qualitative insights, and ergonomic risk assessment tools.
Outcomes
ViVA’s integrated health and environmental risk assessments highlighted the physical, cognitive, and emotional demands of DA work. Recommendations, grounded in user experience, design thinking, and evidence-based practice, aligned with the provider’s vision and values to support structured job redesign and sustainable solutions.