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Related Experiment Videos

EVA mouthguards: how thick should they be?

Bill Westerman1, Peter M Stringfellow, John A Eccleston

  • 1Department of Mathematics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. billwesterman@mgard.com.au

Dental Traumatology : Official Publication of International Association for Dental Traumatology
|February 14, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Mouthguard thickness impacts energy absorption and force reduction. For ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mouthguards, optimal thickness for performance and comfort is approximately 4 mm.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Biomechanical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Mouthguards are crucial for protecting athletes in contact sports.
  • Mouthguard effectiveness is linked to energy absorption and force reduction.
  • Material thickness influences performance but also wearer comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the optimal thickness of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mouthguards for impact protection.
  • To evaluate the relationship between EVA thickness, energy absorption, and transmitted forces.
  • To balance protective performance with user comfort.

Main Methods:

  • Tested ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mouthguard material samples of varying thicknesses.
  • Applied identical impact forces (4.4 joules, 3 m/s) using a pendulum.

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  • Measured energy absorption and transmitted forces for each thickness.

    • Main Results:

    • Increased mouthguard thickness improved energy absorption and reduced transmitted forces.
    • Performance benefits diminished significantly when EVA thickness exceeded 4 mm.
    • Optimal thickness for EVA (Shore A Hardness 80) was found to be around 4 mm.

    Conclusions:

    • A 4 mm thickness provides the best balance between impact protection and wearer comfort for EVA mouthguards.
    • Thicker mouthguards offer marginal performance gains but reduce comfort and acceptance.
    • Optimal mouthguard design should consider both biomechanical performance and user-friendliness.