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A comparison of athletic mouthguard materials

Orthodontics Section, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California

Angelo A. Caputo

Biomaterials Science Section, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California

Niles K. Bakke

Orthodontics Section, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California

The development of protective mouthguards resulted from extensive injuries during participation in contact sports. This has produced a dramatic decrease in the incidence of injuries to the orofacial complex. Numerous materials and techniques have been used for mouth guard fabrication. The purpose of this investigation was to make an in vivo comparison of various thermoplastic mouthguard materials.

Mouthguards were fabricated upon maxillary models of 40 members of the UCLA football team. The mouth guards were made of the following materials: (1) poly (vinyl acetate-ethylene) copolymer clear thermoplastic; (2) polyurethane; and (3) laminated thermoplastic. Eleven measurements were taken for each mouthguard to demonstrate dimensional changes that occurred with wear. Statistical analyses determined differences be tween the types of mouthguards.

The clear thermoplastic revealed less dimensional change than the polyurethane material. The laminated thermoplastic showed significantly less dimensional change than the other materials tested.