Implementing magnification during pre-clinical training: Effects on procedure quality and working posture

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Ergonomics in Dentistry
• Pre-clinical Dental Education

Background:

• Magnification is crucial in dentistry for precision.
• Evaluating its impact on pre-clinical work and ergonomics is essential for training.
• Different loupe types offer varying visual enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of magnification systems on Class I cavity preparation and composite restoration quality.
• To evaluate the impact of magnification on dental working posture.
• To compare unaided vision with simple, Galilean, and Keplerian loupes.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory study involving 320 Class I cavity preparations and restorations on artificial teeth.
• Four magnification levels: unaided, simple loupe, Galilean loupe, Keplerian loupe.
• Quality assessed using pre-established criteria; posture evaluated using CADEP via video analysis.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in cavity preparation quality across magnification systems (P=0.082).
• Galilean and Keplerian loupes improved restoration quality for the left mandibular first molar (P=0.04).
• Significantly higher ergonomic posture scores observed with Galilean and Keplerian loupes (P=0.01).

Conclusions:

• Galilean and Keplerian magnification lenses did not alter pre-clinical procedure quality.
• These loupes enhanced ergonomic posture scores during dental procedures.
• Magnification may benefit posture more than procedural quality in pre-clinical settings.