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Upload a Story
#dental #oraldisease #dentistry #mouthguarddevice

Smile Without Restraint -
New Mouth Guard Device to Improve Oral Condition

By Faculty of Dentistry
Ng Yee Sum Summer
16 Mar 2023

3 min read

Dr James Tsoi (right), Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science and Mr Karfield Chan (left), student research assistant, jointly developed the mouth guard device.

Afraid to smile because of how your teeth may look? Miss eating all the delicacies the city has to offer but worried that they may get stuck to your teeth and you can’t clean them properly? Bid goodbye to all your worries, for the Faculty of Dentistry has developed a mouth guard device with micro-mist injection with the goal to improve oral condition of elderly and disabled people so they could enjoy speaking, eating and smiling. 

Aging Population 

Countries from around the globe are confronted by aging population. Hong Kong, of course, is no exception. With the increasing number of senior citizens within our population structure, elderly-related health problems like diabetes, dementia, depression, and more, have become some major challenges we have to tackle through joint efforts from all walks of life. You may be wondering what you, a mere reader and citizen, could do to alleviate a problem as long-term and inevitable as this. Dr James Tsoi and Mr Karfield Chan have proven to us that when one makes good use of one’s knowledge, everyone can contribute in big and small ways to bring happiness to disadvantaged groups.  

Plaque Cleaning Apparatus Using Dental Acrylic 3-D Printing Technique by  Micro-mist Injection for Elderly and Disabled People” 

 

Demonstrating how the personalised 3D-printed mouth guard can fit onto the teeth

As the Project Coordinator cum Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science, Dr Tsoi and Mr Chan, a Year 5 student research assistant, have creatively combined their dental knowledge with product design to develop a personalized 3-D printed micro-mist injection mouth guard device. The project, known as “Plaque Cleaning Apparatus Using Dental Acrylic 3-D Printing Technique by Micro-mist Injection for Elderly and Disabled People”, aims to improve oral hygiene not only for elderly people, but also for those with disabilities or dysphagia. By helping them clean their oral cavity safely and effectively, the initiators hope to encourage social participation of the disadvantaged groups and allow them to enjoy a better quality of life. 

Personalised 3D-printed mouth guard hence in different sizes
Mouth guard device

This project is supported with a grant from the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living (“FBL”) under the Innovation and Technology Bureau, and was rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2020 when a prototype of a mouthpiece device with a micro-scale mist injection function was developed, followed shortly by a clinical trial, with the data and feedback collected serving to identify future directions for improving this new device.  

How the Mouth Guard Device Works 

This personalised 3D-printed mouth guard device contains an air and water channel for cleaning the tooth plaque with minimal amount of water, which is connected to the micro scale mist apparatus.

With the joint effort of Dr Tsoi and Mr Chan, a novel apparatus adopting micro-scale mist to remove plaque in the oral cavity was designed and developed. This personalised 3D-printed mouth guard device contains an air and water channel for cleaning the tooth plaque with minimum amount of water, which is connected to the micro scale mist apparatus. This technology makes it much easier for elderly and disabled people to take care of their oral hygiene themselves with minimal risk of bacterial infection and aspiration caused by rinsing. Dr Tsoi and Mr Chan hope that this invention can boost the confidence of elderly people and restore their interest in enjoying life. 

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