Shape change in mouthguard sheets during thermoforming.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify changes in sheet shape during thermoforming and the effect of the model position in the molding machine on fabricated mouthguard thickness.

Materials And Methods: Ethylene vinyl acetate mouthguard sheets (3.8 mm thick) were used that had cross-stripes (10 × 10 mm), and the anteroposterior and bilateral lengths were used for measurements. Two forming machines were used: a vacuum- and a pressure-forming machine, and two heating conditions were investigated that defined as the time when sagging of the softened sheet was 15 mm (H-15) and 20 mm (H-20) below the clamp, and the length of each cross-stripes was measured. The area of each lattice was calculated using Bretschneider's formula to compare changes in sheet shape for each condition. Next, mouthguards were molded by forming machine where the working model was positioned under two different conditions: with the model anterior centered in the forming unit and with the model centered. The sheet thickness after fabrication was determined for the incisal and the molar portion, and dimensional measurements were obtained using a measuring device. Differences in the thickness were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (anova).

Result: In both molding machines, the change in the area under H-20 was greater than H-15. While the increase in area tended to expand from the center of the sheet in concentric circles, the difference between the central and surrounding areas was only approximately 5%. For both molding machines, differences in thickness after molding due to setting position of the model were not observed.

Conclusion: The results showed that shape changes of the sheet during thermoforming tend to concentrically and almost uniformly expand from the center and that it is important to center the sheet and the model when positioning the model in the forming unit.