title: Improving mouth guards.
abstract: Mouth guards and materials were tested to provide information for a more protective yet more comfortable product. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer materials varying in thickness and stiffness were tested for their mechanical, thermal, and water-absorption properties. Thickness was measured before and after fabrication of the mouth guard. During fabrication, thicknesses decreased from 25% to 50% for the custom-fabricated mouth guards and 70% to 99% for the mouth-formed (boil-and-bite), off-the-shelf, over-the-counter mouth guards. The thicker the material is, the greater the resulting energy absorption is. It is therefore essential that the thickness in the occlusal portion of the mouth guard remain optimal after fabrication. A mouth guard with a stiffer insert, which softens at a higher temperature in the occlusal portion, is proposed as a more protective mouth guard.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, Iowa City.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Shaull
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Overton
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Donly
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D001732:Bite Force; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D009064:Mouth Protectors; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011145:Polyvinyls; D014867:Water; C016438:ethylenevinylacetate copolymer