3D Printed Sports Mouthguard

The 3D printed sports mouthguard can be specifically designed to provide exceptional protection and comfort to athletes in any sport. The process by which an athlete undergoes for obtaining their mouthguard requires a substantial amount of time and cost. Introducing 3D printer capabilities into the dental and sporting fields would elicit faster manufacturing time with more economically priced materials. In testing our theory, the initial components of the research consisted of scanning a dental impression cast and transferring the S.T.L. file scan onto the C.A.D. software. The next important step required us to discover which material to wire with the 3D printer so that the first figure could be presented. After the first test material was chosen, we had to manipulate the measurements so that the 3D printer could properly layer the material to form a practical design. We then had to search for materials that adhered to the A.D.A. and the F.D.A.’s requirements for safety as this product is a protective oral device. Although we were unable to provide a fully functional 3D printed sports mouthguard example due to time constraints, we were able to provide a strong foundation for companies which would be willing to invest and apply this research.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1205/thumbnail.jp