Customizable Hard Mouth Guard is Recommended During Rigid Endoscopy

by Sue Pondrom •

Is there a better dental guard than soft mouth guards for use during rigid endoscopy?

Background: One risk of rigid endoscopy is tooth injury, most commonly to the maxillary incisors. Standard plastic mouth guards are not customizable and may slip off a patient’s teeth. Additionally, the incisors may cut through the mouth guard’s soft plastic.

Study design: “How I do it” report.

Setting: Department of Otolaryngology, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Va.

Synopsis: This article describes the use of an Aquaplast PS/Thermoplastic nasal splint that is placed in hot water and then removed when soft. The splint is allowed to cool slightly and is then placed onto the patient’s maxillary teeth, where it hardens. Unlike soft mouth guards, this rigid guard allows force to be distributed over adjacent teeth. The entire splint fabrication can be performed in less than three minutes. While some custom-made dental guards require a second visit for impressions and the cost of extra professional fees, this model does not.

Bottom line: The use of an Aquaplast splint is easier, faster and cheaper than other methods of custom dental guard fabrication for rigid endoscopy.

Citation: Domanski M, Lee P, Sadeghi N. Cost-effective dental protection during rigid endoscopy. Laryngoscope. 2011;121(12):2590-2591.

—Reviewed by Sue Pondrom