title: Individualized mouth prop for dental professionals and carers.
abstract: Maintaining a high standard of dental health in children with special needs, particularly those who are unable to control mandibular activity, can prove difficult and time consuming for parents, carers and dental professionals. This article describes the construction of an individually made and relatively unobtrusive finger guard mouth prop, designed to facilitate intraoral examination and oral hygiene care for these children. An initial evaluation by a number of users found these mouth props were simple to fit, stable and provided adequate finger protection. All users planned to continue using their mouth prop after the trial period. It is concluded that similar finger mounted mouth props may help facilitate dental care and oral hygiene for children requiring special care.
authors: Division of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Geary
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Kinirons
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Boyd
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Gregg
mesh_terms: D001734:Bites, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003762:Dental Instruments; D004867:Equipment Design; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D011482:Protective Devices