[An individual facial shield for a sportsman with an orofacial injury].
Facial shields are used when practising contact sports, high speed sports, sports using hard balls, sticks or bats, sports using protective shields or covers, and sports using hard boardings around the sports ground. Examples of facial shields are commercially available, per branch of sport standardised helmets. Fabricating individual protective shields is primarily restricted to mouth guards. In individual cases a more extensive facial shield is demanded, for instance in case of a surgically stabilised facial bone fracture. In order to be able to fabricate an extensive individual facial shield, an accurate to the nearest model of the anterior part of the head is required. An accurate model can be provided by making an impression of the face, which is poured in dental stone. Another method is producing a stereolithographic model using computertomography or magnetic resonance imaging. On the accurate model the facial shield can be designed and fabricated from a strictly safe material, such as polyvinylchloride or polycarbonate.
de Baat
C
C
Uit de afdeling Mondziekten, Kaakchirurgie en Bijzondere Tandheelkunde van het Erasmus Medisch Centrum in Rotterdam. c.debaat@erasmusmc.nl
Peters
R
R
van Iperen-Keiman
C M
CM
de Vleeschouwer
M
M
D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009064:Mouth Protectors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D019876:Sports Equipment