Shock absorption ability of laminate mouth guards in two different malocclusions using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor.

Purpose: The majority of orofacial injuries affect the upper jaw, with the maxillary incisors being most prone to injury, often accounting for as many as 80% of all cases. Children with malocclusion in the anterior segment of the maxilla are more prone to traumatic injuries than those exhibiting normal occlusion, because most often the damaging force impacts directly against the maxillary anterior teeth. Hence, because of the difference of dissipation of the impact force because of the presence or absence of malocclusion, the mouthguard's shock absorption capacity would be influenced by certain factors.

Fiber Bragg grating sensor for measurement of impact absorption capability of mouthguards.

Background: There is no standard technique to monitor impact absorption capability of mouthguards. Earlier investigations have established that strain transferred to the teeth through mouthguard is a good indication of their efficiency. In the present study, a unique experimental scheme utilizing fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) as distributed strain sensors is proposed and investigated to estimate impact absorption capability of custom-made mouthguard.