Dentistry--a show of hands, please!
Dentists have historically derived a distinctive part of their identity from the role of hand skills in practice. Dentistry is a surgical discipline, requiring a basic competency to perform what has been diagnosed and planned as being in the patients' best interests. Dental education has introduced magnification and computer-assisted technique instruction as the proportion of clock-hours devoted to laboratory practice has decreased. The threats posed by traumatic hand injury to practitioners are unknown, but may be small. By contrast, the strain of repetitive motion and injuries caused by postural problems are reported to be widespread in the profession and is generally accepted as characteristic and unavoidable. Ergonomic approaches to alleviating work strain have not been broadly embraced. As dentistry incorporates more biological alternatives and automated technology, the role of hands in practice may change.