Ergonomic benefits of surgical telescope systems: selection guidelines.

A longstanding myth holds that chronic neck and back discomfort or pain is a necessary evil of practicing dentistry. The use of properly selected surgical telescopes and co-axial illumination headlights has been demonstrated to prevent or in some cases eliminate chronic neck and back pain. This paper will discuss the ergonomic benefits of surgical telescopes and co-axial illumination lights, the recent advances made in surgical telescope technology, and practical guidelines for selecting telescopes.