Postural effects of dental loupes in pediatric dental practice?

Abstract

Background: Pediatric dentists may encounter musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) when they cannot maintain neutral postures during dental treatments. It is known that dental loupes (DL) can contribute to improving the ergonomic posture of dentists during treatment. This study aims to investigate the effect of wearing DL on the working posture of pediatric dentists.

Methods: In pulpotomy procedures performed with DL in 23 patients and without DL in 23 patients, photographs were taken at a total of 3 times in each patient: at the beginning of the procedure, 15^th, and 30^th minutes. The working postures of the clinicians were analyzed using the Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI) method through these photographs. The differences between the working postures of pediatric dentists in both groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. The Friedman test determined the statistical relationship between pediatric dentists' time-dependent working postures.

Results: At the beginning, 15^th, and 30^th minutes of treatment, the neck and shoulder postures and the total M-DOPAI scores of clinicians using DL were significantly lower than those working without DL (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found among the total scores determined at different time intervals during the treatment (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: The use of dental loupes has been proven to lower ergonomic risk levels related to the working postures of pediatric dentists. By promoting a more neutral neck and shoulder position, dental loupes may help reduce the risk of occupational musculoskeletal disorders.

Trial registration: The trial protocol was retrospectively registered ID NCT06799585 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ); Jan 29, 2025.