Difference among shock-absorbing capabilities of mouthguard materials

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the shock absorption capability of commercial thermoforming mouthguard sheet materials.

Materials and methods: Twelve commercial thermoforming mouthguard sheet materials were selected as test materials. The impact test was applied by a free-falling steel ball. When impact forces of approximately 660 N were applied on the commercial thermoforming mouthguard materials, the peak intensities were measured using the load cell sensor. The peak intensity and the time to peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force were statistically analyzed using one-way anova and Tukey's honest significant difference post hoc test (P < 0.05).

Results: Statistical analysis for the peak intensity and the time to peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force revealed significant differences among the thirteen groups including the control. The peak intensity of the polystyrene-polyolefin copolymer-based material was lower than the peak intensity of the EVA-, polyolefin-based material. Polyolefin-based materials had a tendency of a long duration to reach peak intensity from the onset of the transmitted force.

Conclusion: These results suggest that all of the commercially available mouthguard sheet materials had high shock-absorbing capabilities.

Keywords: ethylene vinyl acetate; mouthguard; polyolefin; polystyrene-polyolefin copolymer; shock-absorbing capability.