Premium
Comparison of usability properties of custom‐made and standard self‐adapted mouthguards
Author(s) -
Gawlak Dominika,
MierzwińskaNastalska Elżbieta,
MańkaMalara Katarzyna,
Kamiński Tomasz
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
dental traumatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1600-9657
pISSN - 1600-4469
DOI - 10.1111/edt.12085
Subject(s) - usability , computer science , human–computer interaction , engineering
Background Sports‐related injuries, such as those typically incurred during bicycle racing, playing football, basketball, handball, hockey, and while skiing, represent a common problem in dental practice. The use of mouthguards helps prevent such injuries. Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate clinical usability of custom mouthguards made of various polymers with the use of various techniques versus that of the ‘boil‐and‐bite’ mouthguards available on the market. Materials and methods Five types of custom‐made and three types of ‘boil‐and‐bite’ mouthguards, represented by 168 devices in total, were evaluated in terms of usability with the use of a questionnaire. Results The usability of custom mouthguards, especially the ones molded from Corflex, was rated much higher than that of self‐adapted mouthguards. Thus, it is the custom mouthguards that should be suggested to and fitted in patients prone to orofacial injuries.