Fabrication of Shock Absorbing Photopolymer Composite Material for 3D Printing Sports Mouthguard

Abstract

Sports mouthguards (MGs) can reduce the risks of sports-related oral injuries. The aim of this study was to fabricate a composite photopolymer with shock-absorbing properties suitable for use in 3D-printed MGs. By using a commercial, flexible, rubber-like photopolymer as matrix and a commercial rigid simulated polypropylene photopolymer as a reinforcement material, five composites with different Shore A hardness levels were fabricated. Furthermore, four laminated materials were prepared to assess the improvement effects associated with adding a rigid outer layer. The five composites and four laminated materials were evaluated in terms of their shock absorbing capabilities via a steel ball drop impact test along with two types of conventional mouthguard materials. The rubber-like photopolymer composite material compounded with the rigid photopolymer with a Shore A hardness of 50 showed excellent shock absorbing capabilities that were compatible with conventional mouthguard materials, suggesting that this shock absorbing photopolymer composite is a candidate material for 3D-printed sports MGs. If the commercial flexible rubber-like photopolymer is to be applied alone without reinforcement, laminating a rigid photopolymer on the outer surface may be an effective means of improving the shock absorption capabilities of such a MG. We succeeded in fabricating a prototype of a doublelayered mouthguard with these composite materials using a 3D digital dental workflow.

Air Permeability, Shock Absorption Ability, and Flexural Strength of 3D-Printed Perforated ABS Polymer Sheets with 3D-Knitted Fabric Cushioning for Sports Face Guard Applications

“…Fixed prostheses and indirect dental restorations can now be fabricated from different materials using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing technologies [ 22 ]. In addition, the shock absorption abilities of photopolymer composite materials suitable for use in 3D-printed sports mouthguards have been examined recently, and mouthguards have been fabricated successfully from these materials [ 23 ]. Digital technology reduces the number of clinical and laboratory steps, leading to fast and effective delivery of the final custom-made medical device [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Multi-Material 3D Printing of a Customized Sports Mouth Guard: Proof-of-Concept Clinical Case

“…The digital workflow of a MG was reported to be beneficial towards the conventional approach [ 18 , 22 ]. However, until now the evidence to the superior shock absorption of 3D printed MGs is provided only on the experimental in vitro level [ 23 ]. Clinical trials are necessary to estimate their protective capacities.…”