Akervall Technologies partner with Department of Defense to develop a mouth guard for soldiers.

The technology behind the thin, strong and comfortable Protech Dent™ by Akervall Technologies Inc. (ATI) has been picked up by Department of Defense (DoD). DoD has acknowledged that many soldiers injure their teeth and also suffer from concussions, much like athletes, in active duty and combat situations. The extreme conditions our war fighters perform under require extreme properties from a mouth guard. It has to be comfortable and soldiers have to be able to talk and drink without removing it. DoD picked Protech Dent™ for exactly these reasons and it resulted in a research grant, called a SBIR Phase I.

The Protech Dent™ mouth guard was tested during the Department of Defense sponsored research project, using a standard head form with over 50 sensors to measure how impact forces transfer through the head in a drop test at Wayne State University Biomechanical Laboratory (known for impact testing of cars and sports and military helmets).

The standard head form can measure how forces from an impact effect the brain. Preliminary data indicate that Protech Dent™ mouth guards could lower the risk for concussions. However, it is important to remember that it is too early to state that for sure. Other mouth guard manufacturers have made that statement, without sufficient scientific evidence and should be ignored.

Over the last 9 months the research performed by ATI using the Protech Dent™ technology has been executed in collaboration with Wayne State University Biomechanical Laboratory. The testing has resulted in the following findings:

1. The 1.6 mm Protech Dent™ has much higher impact strength than much thicker and softer conventional mouth guard materials (boil and bite and custom made).
2. The Protech Dent™ mouth guard has perforations that absorb some of the impact forces by changing in size under impact, thus acting as shock-absorbing zones.
3. An upper and lower mouth guard (fitted to the upper AND lower jaw) is even better in absorbing impact forces than a single upper mouth guard. With the ultrathin Protech Dent™ users can still breathe, talk and drink.

The military testing was done using a head form with multiple sensors mounted on the jaw, TMJ (Temporo Mandibular Joints) and base of skull, in order to accurately measure forces transferred through the head during an impact. The results were of such interest to the DoD that ATI has now been invited to apply for an even bigger research grant, called a SBIR Phase II. The purpose of this next step is to develop a mouth guard specifically for US War Fighters.

The Protech Dent™ Mouth Guard, available at www.protechguard.com, is currently tested by Special Forces of the Army in Afghanistan.