Volume 30, Issue 174, August 2026

Mouthguard Materials and Design Types: Narrative Review of Their Effectiveness in Sport-Related Dental Trauma Prevention

Zuzanna Szczerba^1♦, Filip Szewczyk², Amelia Sobanek², Erwin Górski², Jakub Deptuch², Aleksandra Wyciślok², Weronika Kubiak², Justyna Koziarska³

¹Navia Clinic, Dowborczyków 34, 90-019 Łódź, Poland
²Institute of Dentistry of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Łódź, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Łódź, Poland
³Independent Public Healthcare Institution in Tarczyn, Warszawska 42, 05-555 Tarczyn, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Zuzanna Szczerba, Navia Clinic, Dowborczyków 34, 90-019 Łódź, Poland

ABSTRACT

Dental and/or orofacial trauma is a common problem in the lives of athletes, especially in contact sports. The purpose of this review is to compare and present different materials and types of mouthguards, focusing on their effectiveness in dental trauma prevention. A significant percentage of kids, teenagers, and adults suffer from various injuries. Mouthguards are equipment that can reduce the risk of orofacial injuries by 1.6–1.9 times. The review focused on three main types of mouthguard: stock, mouth-formed (boil-and-bite), and custom-made, as well as materials such as EVA and thermoplastic polyurethanes. Traditional thermoformed EVA remains one of the most commonly used materials thanks to its availability and satisfactory properties, although it does have its limitations. 3D printing offers an alternative to traditional manufacturing. Custom 3D-printed mouthguards demonstrate slightly better parameters discussed later in the article. Custom-made mouthguards provide the best level of protection and comfort, and additive manufacturing provides new possibilities for performance, individual fit, and cost-effectiveness.

Keywords: mouthguard, sports injury prevention, ethylene vinyl acetate, additive manufacturing, custom-made mouthguard, boil and bite mouthguard, thermoplastic elastomer

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e152ms3935

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Published: 16 August 2026