Sousa Ana M, Pinho Ana C, Messias Ana, Piedade Ana P
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, CEMMPRE, 3030-788 Coimbra Portugal.
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry Department, University of Coimbra, CEMMPRE, 3000-075 Coimbra, Portugal.
Polymers (Basel). 2020 Jul 3;12(7):1490. doi: 10.3390/polym12071490.
Athletes from contact sports are more prone to orofacial injuries because of the exposure to possible shocks and collisions derived from physical proximity. The use of protector polymeric mouthguards proved to be useful in the prevention of the described injuries. There are different types of mouthguards with varying ranges of protection and prices, but they are all made from polymers and share the same propose: to absorb and dissipate the impact energy resulting from the shocks. As they are used inside the mouth, they should not impair breathing and speaking nor compromise the comfort of the athlete. However, the ideal mouthguard is yet to be created. The choice of the most appropriate polymeric material and the standard required properties have not yet been reported. Regardless of the numerous studies in this field, normalized control parameters for both material characterization and mouthguard fabrication are absent. This paper aims to present a review of the current types of available mouthguards and their properties/characteristics. Moreover, a detailed description of the most common polymers for the fabrication of mouthguards, together with the manufacturing techniques, are discussed.
从事对抗性运动的运动员更容易出现口腔面部损伤，因为他们身体接触密切，容易受到冲击和碰撞。事实证明，使用聚合物防护牙套有助于预防上述损伤。防护牙套有不同类型，保护范围和价格各异，但它们均由聚合物制成，且目的相同：吸收和消散冲击产生的能量。由于它们在口腔内使用，不应妨碍呼吸和说话，也不应影响运动员的舒适度。然而，理想的防护牙套尚未问世。目前尚未报道最合适的聚合物材料选择及其所需的标准性能。尽管该领域有大量研究，但缺乏材料表征和防护牙套制造的标准化控制参数。本文旨在综述当前可用防护牙套的类型及其性能/特点。此外，还讨论了用于制造防护牙套的最常见聚合物及其制造技术的详细描述。
