Characterization of mouthguards: Impact performance.

Background/aim: It is difficult to characterize the impact behavior of mouthguards on the basis of their components. Impact behavior tests should be performed on mouthguard formed to simulate their intra-oral performance. The aim of this study was to compare the impact behavior of six models of mouthguards using a standardized experimental protocol.

Characterization of mouth-formed mouthguards: thermal performance.

This study examined whether the thermo-modeling process suits the thermal properties of the material constituting mouth-formed mouthguards (MGs). Five mouth-formed MGs were compared: four commercially available MGs (SDI™, Gel Nano™, Opro Shield Gold™, and Kipsta R300™) and one prototype. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine melting (T(m)) and crystallization (T(c)) temperatures and specific fusion and crystallization enthalpies (∆H(f) and ∆H(c) (J/g)).