Hand grip strength in dentists: A comprehensive evaluation of head position, dominance, age, and sex

Authors

  • Hayam Mahmoud Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • K. M. Shalabi College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Kadrya H. Battecha Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Ehab Mohamed Abd El-Kafy Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Mohamed Salaheldein Alayat Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Anwar A. Ebid Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Jana Sami Ahmad Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Atheer Mohammed Alotaibi Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Nouf Fayez Alsfyani Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Jumana Jamaan Alzhrani Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.644931
Keywords: Head Position, Hand Grip Strength, Dominance, Dentists

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the effect of different head positions on hand grip strength (HGS) on account of hand dominance, age, and sex in dentists. A total of 197 dental students (DS) and practitioners (DP) (81 females and 50 males were DS, 10 females and 14 males were (DP) aged 19-63 participated. HGS was measured using a dynamometer, and the head angle was determined with an inclinometer. HGS on both sides was greatest in NHP & displayed least strength in HEP. There was a significant difference in HGS measured in NHP, HFP, and HEP (p < 0.05) for the dominant hand, while the non-dominant hand showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) for female DS. A significant difference was recorded between dominant and non-dominant HGS in each head position (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also found between female and male DP HGS (p < 0.05) and DS (p < 0.05), particularly at HFP and HEP. There was a significant difference noted between female DS and DP HGS, however, HGS for both dominant and non-dominant hands in DP was higher than DS in HEP (p < 0.05), while no significant difference noted for HFP and NHP. Females had the strongest grip in NHP, while males in HFP. HGS influenced by age; DP had stronger grip than DS. In a comparison between male and female DP and DS, males had stronger grip than females across all positions. Hand dominance significantly influences HGS, with the dominant having a stronger hand grip.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmed, T. (2013). The effect of upper extremity fatigue on grip strength and passing accuracy in junior basketball players. Journal of Human Kinetics, 37, 71–79. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2013-0027

Alahmari, K. A., Silvian, S. P., Reddy, R. S., Kakaraparthi, V. N., Ahmad, I., & Alam, M. M. (2017). Hand grip strength determination for healthy males in Saudi Arabia: A study of the relationship with age, body mass index, hand length and forearm circumference using a hand-held dynamometer. The Journal of International Medical Research, 45(2), 540–548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060516688976

Angst, F., Drerup, S., Werle, S., Herren, D. B., Simmen, B. R., & Goldhahn, J. (2010). Prediction of grip and key pinch strength in 978 healthy subjects. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 11, 94-108. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-11-94

Bohannon, R. W., Peolsson, A., Massy-Westropp, N., Desrosiers, J., & Bear-Lehman, J. (2006). Reference values for adult grip strength measured with a Jamar dynamometer: a descriptive meta-analysis. Physiotherapy, 92(1), 11-15.

Carmeli, E., Patish, H., & Coleman, R. (2003). The aging hand. The Journals of Gerontology Series, 58(2), 146-152.

Ding, H., Leino-Arjas, P., Murtomaa, H., Takala, E. P., & Solovieva, S. (2013). Variation in work tasks in relation to pinch grip strength among middle-aged female dentists. Applied Ergonomics, 44(6), 977–981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2013.03.014

Eika, F., Blomkvist, A. W., Rahbek, M. T., Eikhof, K. D., Hansen, M. D., Søndergaard, M., Ryg, J., Andersen, S., & Jorgensen, M. G. (2019). Reference data on hand grip and lower limb strength using the Nintendo Wii balance board: a cross-sectional study of 354 subjects from 20 to 99 years of age. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2405-7

El-Sais, W. M., & Mohammad, W. S. (2016). Biomechanical effect of testing positions on hand grip strength. Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology, 16(03), 1-16.

Fess, E. E. (1987). A method for checking Jamar dynamometer calibration. Journal of Hand Therapy, 1(1), 28-32.

Griggs, R. C., Kingston, W., Jozefowicz, R. F., Herr, B. E., Forbes, G., & Halliday, D. (1989). Effect of testosterone on muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis. Journal of Applied Physiology, 66(1), 498–503. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1989.66.1.498

Habibi, E., Kazemi, M., Dehghan, H., Mahaki, B., & Hassanzadeh, A. (2013). Hand grip and pinch strength: Effects of workload, hand dominance, age, and body mass index. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 29, 363–367. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.291(Suppl).3535 ‏

Hanks, J., & Myers, B. (2023). Validity, Reliability, and Efficiency of a Standard Goniometer, Medical Inclinometer, and Builder's Inclinometer. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 18(4), 989–996. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.83944

Hillman, T. E., Nunes, Q. M., Hornby, S. T., Stanga, Z., Neal, K. R., Rowlands, B. J., Allison, S. P., & Lobo, D. N. (2005). A practical posture for hand grip dynamometry in the clinical setting. Clinical Nutrition, 24(2), 224–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2004.09.013

Jaafar, M. H., Ismail, R., Ismail, N. H., Md Isa, Z., Mohd Tamil, A., Mat Nasir, N., Ng, K. K., Ab Razak, N. H., Zainol Abidin, N., & Yusof, K. H. (2023). Normative reference values and predicting factors of handgrip strength for dominant and non-dominant hands among healthy Malay adults in Malaysia. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 24(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-023-06181-8

Kolber, M. J., Pizzini, M., Robinson, A., Yanez, D., & Hanney, W. J. (2013). The reliability and concurrent validity of measurements used to quantify lumbar spine mobility: an analysis of an iphone® application and gravity based inclinometry. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 8(2), 129–137.

Kong, Y., Song, Y., Jung, M., & Lee, I. (2011). Effects of hand position on maximum grip strength and discomfort. Ergonomic Australia – HFESA, 11, 1-12.

Kumar, M., Pai, K. M., & Vineetha, R. (2020). Occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals. Medicine and Pharmacy Reports, 93(4), 405–409. https://doi.org/10.15386/mpr-1581

Kumar, N. S. S., Daniel, C. R., Hilda, M., & Dharmarajan, R. (2012). Grip strength: influence of head-neck position in normal subjects. Journal of Neurology Research, 2(3), 93-98.

Lee, J. H., Yoo, W. G., & Lee, K. S. (2010). Effects of head-neck rotation and kinesio taping of the flexor muscles on dominant-hand grip strength. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 22(3), 285-289.

Lee, S. C., Wu, L. C., Chiang, S. L., Lu, L. H., Chen, C. Y., Lin, C. H., Ni, C. H., & Lin, C. H. (2020). Validating the Capability for Measuring Age-Related Changes in Grip-Force Strength Using a Digital Hand-Held Dynamometer in Healthy Young and Elderly Adults. BioMed Research International, 59, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6936879

Liao, K. H. (2016). Hand grip strength in low, medium, and high body mass index males and females. Middle East Rehabilitation Health Studies, 3(1), 1-7.

Long, C., 2nd, Conrad, P. W., Hall, E. A., & Furler, S. L. (1970). Intrinsic-extrinsic muscle control of the hand in power grip and precision handling. An electromyographic study. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 52(5), 853–867.

Oseloka, I. A., Bello, B. M., Oliver, H. W., Emmanuel, U. U., & Abraham, M. S. (2014). Association of handgrip strength with body mass index among Nigerian students. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, 9(1), 1-7.

Roberts, H. C., Denison, H. J., Martin, H. J., Patel, H. P., Syddall, H., Cooper, C., & Sayer, A. A. (2011). A review of the measurement of grip strength in clinical and epidemiological studies: towards a standardised approach. Age and Ageing, 40(4), 423–429. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afr051

Sinha-Hikim, I., Cornford, M., Gaytan, H., Lee, M. L., & Bhasin, S. (2006). Effects of testosterone supplementation on skeletal muscle fiber hypertrophy and satellite cells in community-dwelling older men. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 91(8), 3024–3033. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2006-0357

Sternäng, O., Reynolds, C. A., Finkel, D., Ernsth-Bravell, M., Pedersen, N. L., & Dahl Aslan, A. K. (2015). Factors associated with grip strength decline in older adults. Age and ageing, 44(2), 269–274. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afu170

Sukari, A. A. A., Singh, S., Bohari, M. H., Idris, Z., Ghani, A. R. I., & Abdullah, J. M. (2021). Examining the Range of Motion of the Cervical Spine: Utilising Different Bedside Instruments. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 28(2), 100–105. https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2021.28.2.9

Wollesen, B., Gräf, J., Schumacher, N., Meyer, G., Wanstrath, M., Feldhaus, C., Luedtke, K., & Mattes, K. (2020). Influences of Neck and/or Wrist Pain on Hand Grip Strength of Industrial Quality Proofing Workers. Safety and Health at Work, 11(4), 458–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2020.06.008

Zafar, H., Alghadir, A., & Anwer, S. (2018). Effects of Head-Neck Positions on the Hand Grip Strength in Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study. BioMed Research International, 5, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7384928

Published
12-01-2025
How to Cite
Mahmoud, H., Shalabi, K. M., Battecha, K. H., Abd El-Kafy, E. M., Alayat, M. S., Ebid, A. A., … Alzhrani, J. J. (2025). Hand grip strength in dentists: A comprehensive evaluation of head position, dominance, age, and sex. SPORT TK-EuroAmerican Journal of Sport Sciences, 14, 7. https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.644931
Issue
Vol. 14 (2025)
Section
Articles

 The works and papers that are published in this Journal are subject to the following terms:

 1. The Publication Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) has the Publication Rights (Copyright) to the published papers and works, and favors and permits the reusing of the same under the license indicated in point 2.

 © Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2013

 2. The papers and works are to be published in the digital edition of the Journal under the license Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 España (legal text). The copying, using, spreading, transmitting and publicly displaying of the papers, works or publication are permitted as long as: i) the authors and original sources (Journal, publisher and URL of the publication) are quoted; ii) it is not used for commercial benefit; iii) the existence and specifications of this users license are mentioned.

3. Conditions of Self-Archiving. It is permitted and encouraged that the authors spread electronically the pre-print (before printing) and/or post-print (the revised, evaluated and accepted) versions of their papers or works before their publication since this favors their circulation and early diffusion and therefore can help increase their citation and quotation, and also there reach through the academic community. 

The works and papers that are published in this Journal are subject to the following terms:

1. The Publication Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) has the Publication Rights (Copyright) to the published papers and works, and favors and permits the reusing of the same under the license indicated in point 2.

© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2013

2. The papers and works are to be published in the digital edition of the Journal under the license Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 España (legal text). The copying, using, spreading, transmitting and publicly displaying of the papers, works or publication are permitted as long as: i) the authors and original sources (Journal, publisher and URL of the publication) are quoted; ii) it is not used for commercial benefit; iii) the existence and specifications of this users license are mentioned.

3. Conditions of Self-Archiving. It is permitted and encouraged that the authors spread electronically the pre-print (before printing) and/or post-print (the revised, evaluated and accepted) versions of their papers or works before their publication since this favors their circulation and early diffusion and therefore can help increase their citation and quotation, and also there reach through the academic community.