Table 1.
Branson’s Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (PAI).
| Acceptable | Compromised | Harmful | 1 min | 3 min | 5 min | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIPS | ||||||
| Level on stool (1 POINT) |
Hips not level on stool (2 POINTS) |
|||||
| TRUNK | ||||||
| Front to back ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Front to back >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Front to back ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| Side to side ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Side to side >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Side to side ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| Rotation between planes ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Rotation between planes >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Rotation between planes ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| HEAD/NECK | ||||||
| Front to back ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Front to back >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Front to back ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| Side to side ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Side to side >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Side to side ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| Rotation between planes ≤20° (1 POINT) |
Rotation between planes >20°, <45° (2 POINTS) |
Rotation between planes ≥45° (3 POINTS) |
||||
| SHOULDERS | ||||||
| Relaxed (1 POINT) |
Slumped forward (2 POINTS) |
|||||
| Both shoulder level with trunk (1 POINT) |
One or both shoulders elevated above line of trunk (2 POINTS) |
|||||
| WRIST | ||||||
| Flexion or extension ≤15° (either wrist) (1 POINT) |
Flexion or extension ≥15° (either wrist) (2 POINTS) |
|||||
| TOTAL | ||||||
Sourced from: Branson, et al. [22].