Will Dental Loupes Influence The Cervical Health of Dentists?

Dental Loupes are known to be the best invention in the field of dentistry. It has made the lives of dentists and surgeons pretty easy. Loupes are not only useful to enhance the patient’s treatment, but they also prove to be extremely beneficial for dentists’ health. This is the reason why a majority of dentists are adapting to the usage of dental loupes in their day-to-day life.

The most significant benefits of dentist loupes are that it enhances the career longevity of dentists. There are plenty of benefits of using loupes. On the other hand, you might even have to face certain issues if you are not using loupes with the right position and degree. It is essential to go for customized dental loupes because every individual has different requirements. If you are not wearing a loupe with the right degree and position, then it could be very harmful to your cervical health.

There are several things to keep in mind while purchasing a dental loupe. Some of the most significant ones to never forget are:

• Size
• Material
• Frame size
• Viewing field
• Working distance
• Declination angle
• Co-axial modulation

Of all the factors to keep in mind, the declination angle is considered to be the most important one. The most fatal ergonomic health issues are prevalent in dentists because of loupes not being made as per the declination angle.

Before we discuss about the benefits of an appropriate declination angle, let us have a look at what declination angle is.

What Is Declination Angle?

Declination angle is nothing but the angle at which your eyes are inclined in the downward direction for looking at the work area. The first thing that one needs to keep in mind is that the declination angle has to be steep enough that it requires minimal forwarding of head posture. This would create a comfortable working posture to work with for a long time.

For approximately 70% of working time, consider that you are working with a declination angle of 20 degrees, then that is going to result in neck pain. There are no loupes available in the market that can provide a completely neutral head posture. In the field of dentistry, loupes with a steep declination angle prove to be very beneficial for cervical health. This will also reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders and also improve the comfort of clinicians and dentists. With proper loupes, it would become pretty easy to manage your cervical health.

Loupes With Different Declination Angles

For maintaining a proper and safe head posture, you should go with a loupe that has a steep declination angle from 40-50 degrees. If you are looking forward to satisfying this criterion, you will have to go with flip-up loupes. They are the only loupes available in the entire market that can help you to consistently maintain a safe head posture.

Some dentists and clinicians also prefer to go with through-the-lens-loupes. In reality, these loupes are not able to achieve more than a 30-degree declination angle. You might also have to go through unsafe forward head postures while using these loupes. TTL loupes promise to offer a 40-45 degrees declination angle, but the angle has been found to be 20-25 degrees when it’s measured. This has been measured by several dental students, professionals, and clinicians after making a purchase.

Earlier, flip-up loupes were not much considered by female dentists and hygienists because of their heavyweight. With the advancement of technology, the weight issue has been solved. There are new ultra-lightweight flip-up loupes available in the market for the utmost comfort of dentists. If you have gone through the sales reps of flip-up loupes, you might have often heard them saying no adjustment required for a long time.

This is true up to some extent. If you accidentally sit on your loupes, then there are high chances you might have to readjust them. But, if you have completely gone through the guidelines and properly tightened the hinges with an enclosed wrench, then you won’t have to readjust them repeatedly. The loupes will remain intact and as they are for a long time.

Dental loupes with appropriate declination angle are necessary to maintain proper head posture and avoid neck pains.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of quality surgical loupes for surgeons in the market but it is necessary to go for high-quality ones. Loupes are not only going to prevent your eyes and body pain, but they will also enhance your level of treatment you are offering. You should have a look at the loupes available at Loupe Direct to get the best ones with proper declination angle. The loupes available here are manufactured by keeping in mind every dentist and clinicians needs in mind. So, you won’t have to suffer from neck pain or musculoskeletal disorders anymore after using these loupes.