3D Printed Sports Mouthguard

The 3D printed sports mouthguard can be specifically designed to provide exceptional protection and comfort to athletes in any sport. The process by which an athlete undergoes for obtaining their mouthguard requires a substantial amount of time and cost. Introducing 3D printer capabilities into the dental and sporting fields would elicit faster manufacturing time with more economically priced materials. In testing our theory, the initial components of the research consisted of scanning a dental impression cast and transferring the S.T.L. file scan onto the C.A.D. software. The next important step required us to discover which material to wire with the 3D printer so that the first figure could be presented. After the first test material was chosen, we had to manipulate the measurements so that the 3D printer could properly layer the material to form a practical design. We then had to search for materials that adhered to the A.D.A. and the F.D.A.’s requirements for safety as this product is a protective oral device. Although we were unable to provide a fully functional 3D printed sports mouthguard example due to time constraints, we were able to provide a strong foundation for companies which would be willing to invest and apply this research.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1205/thumbnail.jp

Mouthguards for contact sports: current state of use

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityTraumatic dental injury (TDI) is a public health problem that affects millions of individuals each year. Contact sports and sports-related activities such as boxing, basketball, and bicycling are the number one cause for TDI’s. The most common TDI’s resulting from sporting accidents are soft tissue laceration, tooth fracture, luxation and avulsion. Some individuals are more at risk than others in sustaining a TDI due to various predisposing factors. Individuals are at greater risk of dental trauma if they have protruding teeth, insufficient lip closure, and/or teeth that have received restorative dental treatment. Adolescents and teenagers are known to be most affected by TDI’s because they are the subset of the population most involved in contact sports and other physical activities. Mouthguards were developed to prevent the occurrence and severity of these dental injuries. There are three different types of mouthguards currently in use. They are the stock, mouth-formed, and custom-made mouthguards. Stock and mouth-formed mouthguards are the least recommended by dental professionals, yet in combination are worn the most because of their affordability and ease of use. Custom-made mouthguards are the most accepted mouthguards by the dental community because they are the most adapted to the particular individual, and are associated with the lowest number of TDI’s out of the three types of mouthguards. Users of mouthguards are nearly three times less likely to sustain a TDI while participating in a sport, compared to non-users. Unfortunately, many active individuals do not utilize mouthguards. Non-users of mouthguards associate wearing of mouthguards with undesirable effects, such as breathing difficulties and speech impairment. The side-effects of mouthguards can be so prevalent that they can potentially cause impairment in ones playing ability. In hopes of increasing the number of mouthguard users, researchers and manufactures have continually found new ways to eliminate the negative side-effects of mouthguards, while enhancing their protective function. Researchers have found mouthguards made from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) to have the lowest report of wearer opposition. EVA materials are soft and durable, but more importantly, can be tailored to satisfy the needs of the individual. Also, certain materials and designs can be incorporated into the EVA material to better the mouthguards protective function. For instance, past experiments have shown the placement of compliant materials, such as Sorbothane, in between two sheets of EVA material will significantly enhance the mouthguards protective capability. However, the joining of multiple materials may result in thicker and less comfortable mouthguards. More recent mouthguard trials have focused on limiting the thickness of mouthguards, while achieving the same level of protection seen in mouthguards made from multiple materials. Researchers have found the insertion of air cells within the EVA material to be useful technique in minimizing the overall thickness of mouthguards, while preserving the mouthguards protective function. In continuing to meet the high demands of athletes and active individuals, researchers and manufactures must develop newer mouthguards by exploring the effectiveness of other materials, as well as finding alternative methods in which mouthguards can be made

Photocatalytic degradation of disperse azo dyes in textile wastewater using green zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized in plant extract: A critical review

Textile wastewater comprises a complex mixture of chemical substances and dyes such as disperse dyes which have a high potential as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. Textile wastewater effluent contributes 20% of the water pollution with a high contribution to environmental contamination, where about 50,000 tons/year of dyes are dumped into the environment. The advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which includes photo�catalytic degradation (PD) using nanophotocatalysts, is a rising technology causing in completing the mineral�ization of the dyes, compared to traditional treatment techniques such as the absorption method, which transfers the pollutants to other stages. Photolysis is capable of partially degrading 50 to 80% of micro-pollutants like dyes using nanophotocatalysts. The literature indicates that about 70 to 80% of studies use photocatalysis using ZnO/ TiO2 as a photocatalyst in wastewater treatment. However, the photocatalysts used have limited potential for removing dyes from textile wastewater. Thus, it is urgent to improve the ZnO NPs synthesis to maximize the PD efficiency to degrading textile wastewater dyes. The present review focuses on exploring the efficiency and mechanism of the photodegradation of textile wastewater dyes using zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) syn�thesized in the plant extract. The highest photolysis efficiency was found at low dye concentrations and pH to improve the initial operating parameters. Photolysis increases with increasing photocatalysis in the surface area and with an optimum amount of photocatalyst. Furthermore, appropriate photoirradiation is also necessary to conduct the photocatalytic process at room temperature

Role and Fabrication Method of Custom-made Mouthguards for the Prevention of Athletic Injuries

Posebnu skupinu orofacijalnih ozljeda čini skupina športskih ozljeda, koje su karakteristične i po mjestu i po načinu nastanka. Športska je stomatologija grana stomatologije vezana za prevenciju i liječenje posljedica orofacijalnih ozljeda u športskim aktivnostima. Orofacijalne i posebno dentalne traume u športu razlikuju se po načinu nastanka od ostalih dentalnih trauma, a mogu se razmjerno lako prevenirati. Upotrebom prikladnih štitnika za zube znatno se smanjuje množina ozljeda dentalnih i parodontnih stuktura. U skupini intraoralnih štitnika postoje gotovi, polugotovi i individualni športski štitnici za zube. Iako se gotovim i polugotovim štitnicima za zube izbjegava posjet stomatologu, samo individualni štitnik za zube daje najviše u profilaksi orofacijalnih ozljeda. Svojim konstrukcijskim i tehnološkim osobitostima najugodniji je športašima tijekom treninga i natjecanja. Preduvjeti za nošenje štitnika za zube jesu dobra oralna profilaksa i izlječeni svi zubi (bez karijesa i parodontopatija). Izrađuju se najčešće na gornjemu zubnome nizu. Štitnik za zube izrađuje se iz materijala koji treba zadovoljavati mnoge fizikalne, mehaničke, biološke i funkcijske zahtjeve. Prikazan je postupak izradbe štitnika za zube s pomoću dubinskoga izvlačenja folije vakuumom. Protektivna uloga štitnika za zube bila bi u prevenciji posjekotina jezika, usana i obraza od ozljeda oštrim incizalnim rubovima najčešće prednjih gornjih zuba, u smanjenome riziku traume prednjih zuba, u smanjenoj mogućnosti loma donje i gornje čeljusti te u oštećenju stražnjih zuba i čeljusnih zglobova od udarca u donji rub mandibule. Športaši trebaju biti upućeni o postojanju mogućnosti da sačuvaju oralno zdravlje te o manjim poteškoćama koje su neizbježne kada se nosi štitnik za zube.Orofacial injuries are athletic injuries which are specific according to place and way of occurence. Sports dentistry is a dental discipline associated with the prevention and treatment of the consequences of orofacial injuries during sport activities. Orofacial, and particularly dental athletic injuries, differentiate according to way of occurence from other dental injuries and can be easily prevented. By using an adequate mouthguard a number of dental and periodontal injuries can be considerably reduced. There are different intraoral mouthguards: stock, mouth-formed and custom-made mouthguards. Even though with the stock and mouthformed mouthguards a visit to the dentist is avoided, only custom-made mouthguards offer maximum prevention from orofacial injuries. By its construction and technological features it is the most comfortable for athletes during training and competition. Preconditions for wearing mouthguards are good oral prophylaxis and restoration of all teeth (without caries and periodontopathy). The motherguard is commonly fabricated on the upper dental arch. Mouthguards are manufactured from materials that should satisfy numerous physical, mechanical, biological and functional requirement. Fabrication method of a mouthguard by means of vacuum lamination is presented. The role of the mouthguard is to prevent laceration of the tongue, lips and cheeks by the sharp edges of anterior maxillary teeth, to reduce the risk of injuries to the anterior teeth, to reduce the risk of mandibular or maxillary fractures as well as damage to the posterior teeth and temporomandibular joints, after blows to the interior aspect of the mandible. Athletes should be informed of the possibilities of prevention of their oral health as well as of the existence of slight difficulties which are inevitable during wear of a mouthguard

Temporomandibularne ozljede i poremećaji u sportu

Orofacial injuries are common in sporting activities, depending on type of sport and many other factors. Temporomandibular injuries and disorders have been found in 2 – 6 % of all orofacial injuries cases, and they are the result of macrotraumas and microtraumas of the mandible, the temporomandibular joint and adjacent anatomic structures. The results of such traumas are of different symptomatology and can lead to a temporary or permanent cessation of sporting activity. Most injuries in sports, including orofacial and temporomandibular disorders, are predictable and therefore preventable. Measures for preventing orofacial injuries and temporomandibular disorders in sporting activities include various types of protection appliances: extraoral, interdental (intraoral) and combined mouth and teeth protectors. Interdental sports guards (mouthguards) can be stock or ready-made, mouth-formed or custom-made mouthguards. These mouthguards, mutually different in quality, play a very important role in prevention of orofacial and temporomandibular tissue injuries. Use of mouthguards significantly reduces the number of orofacial tissue injuries, and also reduces the severity of sustained injuries. Sports injuries, including those to orofacial and temporomandibular area, regardless of whether they are incurred in recreational or competitive sport, require multidisciplinary approach, both in diagnostics and treatment and in implementation of prevention measures. Sports physicians, coaches, sports officials, parents and athletes themselves, should also be permanently educated on the exceptional importance of prevention measures, thus making the role of dentist in sport unavoidable.Ozljede orofacijalnog sustava u sportu su učestale, ovisno o vrsti sportske discipline te drugim okolnostima. Temporomandibularne ozljede i poremećaji čine oko 2 do 6% svih orofacijalnih ozljeda, a rezultat su makrotrauma i mikrotrauma donje čeljusti, čeljusnog zgloba i okolnih anatomskih struktura. Posljedice takvih trauma raznovrsne su simptomatologije, koje mogu biti uzrokom privremenog ili trajnog prekida bavljenja sportom. Većina ozljeda u sportu, pa tako i onih orofacijalnih te temporomandibularnih poremećaja, nastaje iz predvidivih razloga i na njih se može preventivno utjecati. U preventivne mjere spada korištenje različitih oblika zaštitnih sredstava: ekstraoralnih, interdentalnih (intraoralnih) i kombiniranih štitnika za usta i zube. Najširu uporabu imaju interdentalni štitnici, a oni mogu biti gotovi, polugotovi ili individualno izrađeni. Imaju raznovrsne uloge u sprječavanju ozljeda orofacijalnih tkiva u sportu, a korištenjem takvih štitnika učestalost se i težina orofacijalnih, odnosno temporomandibularnih, ozljeda znatno smanjuje. Sportske ozljede, pa tako i one orofacijalnog sustava, bez obzira na to nastaju li u rekreativnom ili natjecateljskom sportu, zahtijevaju multidisciplinarni pristup, kako pri dijagnostici i liječenju, tako i u provođenju preventivnih mjera. Sportski liječnici, treneri, sportski djelatnici, roditelji i sami sportaši trebali bi se trajno educirati i upućivati u iznimnu važnost preventivnih mjera, pri čemu je uloga stomatologa u sportu nezaobilazna

Head impact exposure in junior and adult Australian football players

Tis study measured and compared the frequency, magnitude, and distribution of head impacts sustained by junior and adult Australian football players, respectively, and between player positions over a season of games. Twelve junior and twelve adult players were tracked using a skin-mounted impact sensor. Head impact exposure, including frequency, magnitude, and location of impacts, was quantifed using previously established methods. Over the collection period, there were no signifcant diferences in the impact frequency between junior and adult players. However, there was a signifcant increase in the frequency of head impacts for midfelders in both grades once we accounted for player position. A comparable amount of head impacts in both junior and adult players has implications for Australian football regarding player safety and medical coverage as younger players sustained similar impact levels as adult players. Te other implication of a higher impact profle within midfelders is that, by targeting education and prevention strategies, a decrease in the incidence of sports-related concussion may result

A Comparative Study of Shock Absorption Capacities of Custom Fabricated Mouthguards using a Triangulation Sensor

This in-vitro study compares the shock absorption qualities of five mouthguard designs measured with a triangulation laser sensor during small hard object collisions. The aim was to investigate the impact of different labial designs on mouthguard performance. METHODS: Five different custom-fabricated ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) types of mouthguards with varying thickness and different labial inserts (polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG), nylon mesh, air space) were tested with a triangulation laser sensor during different energy blows, generated with a pendulum testing device. The pendulum hits were applied to the center of a pivoted tooth crown in a custom-built upper jaw model. Measurements were executed with the mouthguards on the model and with no mouthguard as a negative control. RESULTS: Tooth deflection was reduced with all mouthguards in comparison to no mouthguard. Increasing mouthguard thickness improved the mouthguards' shock absorption capacities. Also, adding labial inserts increased their preventive qualities in ascending order: Mouthguard with a soft insert (nylon mesh), a hard insert (PETG), air space plus a hard insert (PETG). CONCLUSION: Increasing EVA foil thickness of a mouthguard, increasing labial thickness, and adding labial inserts (soft, stiff and air space) improve mouthguard shock absorption capabilities during small hard object collisions, thereby improving dental trauma prevention

Attitudes of High School Ice Hockey Players Toward Mouthguard Usage

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine Michigan High School ice hockey players’ attitudes regarding the use of mouthguards and to determine the effects of mouthguard type, player position, education, and usage time with respect to attitudes. Methods: A questionnaire measuring players’ attitudes toward mouthguards was sent to six member institutions of the Michigan State High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) located in Southwest Michigan. Out of a total of 128 players listed on the rosters of the MSHSAA, 119 (93%) players returned the surveys, with 117 surveys used in the analyses (91%).Results: Approximately 25.6% of players reported wearing mouthguards 50% of the time or greater during practices and 80.3% wearing mouthguards 50% of the time or greater during games. Seventy-two percent of the subjects had never received educational information regarding mouthguards. A 2x2x3 ANOVA revealed no significant effect between player position, previous mouthguard education, and mouthguard type with respect to mouthguard attitudes. Independent t-tests revealed players wearing mouthguards greater than 50% of the time during practice and games had more positive attitudes toward mouthguards than those who wore mouthguards less than 50% of the time. Conclusion: No one specific factor affecting attitudes of mouthguard use was identified; however, the majority of the players had no previous education on mouthguard usage. Our results show a need for more educational interventional programs by healthcare providers, dentists, and coaches

On-Demand Power Source for Medical Electronic Implants: Acousto-Mechanical Vibrations from Human Vocal Folds

For use in vibration-driven power generation, we have quantitatively characterized the acousto-mechanical vibrations that propagate from the human vocal folds through the neck and head along the skeletal frames. We have used five MEMS accelerometers to characterize the acousto-mechanical vibrations present in various situations. The acousto-mechanical vibrations excite vibration-driven energy harvesters at their resonance frequencies between 90-300 Hz and generate up to 0.15 mW/cm^3 on demand