Why students should use dental loupes

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Why students should use
dental loupes?
The best time to start using dental loupes is while you are still learning the fundamentals of
dentistry and medical surgery. With an improved visualization, learning is made easier and faster.
But why should med and dental students like you use magnification loupes? Here are a few proven
benefits that students can enjoy when using optical loupes.
The importance of precision surgical and dental loupes to every dental and surgical procedure
can't be discounted. For dentists, dental hygienists, and surgeons, precision is everything. A single
mistake can lead to serious complications. It can even lead to early retirement, or worst, to a legal
battle due to medical or dental negligence or malpractice.
The best time to start using dental loupes is while you are still learning the fundamentals of
dentistry and medical surgery. With an improved visualization, learning is made easier and faster.
But why should med and dental students like you use magnification loupes?
Below are some proven benefits that students can enjoy when using optical loupes.
Enhanced visualization
The ability of dental loupes to improve visualization has long been known. With better
visualization, learning has been made easier and quicker. Student loupes allow you to identify
smaller parts of the oral cavity as well as critical details which are typically not visible to the
naked eye. This includes minor carious lesions and early signs of cavities or other oral health
problems.

Better overall performance
Recent studies have shown that students who get exposed to the use of dental magnification
loupes as early as preclinical dental education display better overall performance than those who
do not use any magnification glasses.
Not only will dental loupes and better visualization allow you easy identification of critical details,
they likewise help you perform any clinical dental procedures faster and accurately. No matter
how smart and skillful you are as a student dentist, your performance can still be limited to what
your eyes can see. With enhanced visualization, hand and eye coordination is also being improved.
Thus, making it possible for you to perform any dental clinical procedures much easier and faster.
Maintenance of ergonomic posture
Maintaining an ergonomic working posture can be hard without the help of magnification aid.
Poor operator posture is oftentimes associated with insufficient lighting and poor vision.
As a dentist, you will be dealing with the oral cavity which is located in a secluded and dark area.
In order to have a better view of the area you are working on, you will need to bend forward and
maintain an awkward posture all throughout the dental procedure you are performing. This can
cause you a variety of musculoskeletal problems including upper and lower back pain, shoulder
fatigue, and neck pain. When left unaddressed, this simple issue can become chronic and more
serious over time which can lead to injury or worst, to early retirement.

This particular scenario is not only applicable to professionals who have been practicing dentistry
for years already. It can also be applied to student dentists. Dental professionals are more at risk of
neck and back pain than other professionals. In fact, about 70% of dentists and dental hygienists
are reported to have suffered from musculoskeletal pain at some point in their career.
Studies show that dentists who have started using dental loupes as early as dental school have a
lower risk to dental hunchback and musculoskeletal pain due to poor operator posture than those
who are not using loupes at all. This is because using dental loupes in training, provided that they
are customized to perfectly fit the operator's measurements, can help students develop better
postural habits and maintain a healthier and neutral working posture.