Factors associated with employment of powered wheelchair users.

Purpose: To identify correlations between demographic, health-related, environmental factors and the employment status of power wheelchair (PWC) users.Method: We retrospectively analysed semi-structured interviews with 128 participants, their assistants or family members, and the participant's provided medical records. Participants were adult PWC users who applied for grants in purchasing a new PWC for gaining or keeping employment between 2019-2021 in Mazovian Province, Poland.Results: Forty-six PWC users (35.9%) were employed while applying for the financial support programme. Fischer's Exact Test of Independence identified positive correlations between employment and education level (p < 0.001), residing in an urban area (p = 0.02), being employed before starting PWC use (p < 0.001), having vocational rehabilitation (p < 0.001), and living in a relationship (p = 0.002). There were no associations between employment status and sex, age at study entry, age at disability onset, living alone or with others, duration of PWC use, or full or part-time PWC use. Our findings indicate that PWC users are at risk of non-employment and financial hardship. This research may support policies for PWC provision that would support gainful employment. The results show that access to quality education, vocational rehabilitation, and perhaps the physical/emotional support from others in close relationships matter. These aspects should be considered in educational policies, transportation, and physical environmental accessibility for PWC users, supporting their gainful employment.

Paid employment is recognised for its positive impact on the financial situation, health, and overall life satisfaction of power wheelchair users. Rehabilitation professionals can play a crucial role in facilitating the attainment and maintenance of employment throughout the clinical process.Educating power wheelchair users with factors conducive to supporting their employment, such as pursuing advanced education, utilising vocational rehabilitation services, residing in urban areas, fostering meaningful social relationships, and drawing upon previous employment experiences, may improve outcomes.Sex, age, disability cause, duration of disability, and reliance on a power wheelchair as the primary mode of mobility were found to be unrelated to employment status among power wheelchair users.Further investigation into the needs of the power wheelchair user population in their pursuit of gainful employment is justified.

The Influence of Decontamination Procedures on the Surface of Two Polymeric Liners Used in Prosthodontics.

Polymeric liners are materials commonly used in prosthodontics to reshape denture surfaces contacting the soft tissues of the oral cavity. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of different cleaning methods on two polymeric materials used in prosthodontics as non-adhesive permanent liners. The material for the research consisted of samples made from Mollosil Plus (Detax, Ettlingen, Germany)-direct polysiloxan liner; and Plastitanium (Pressing Dental, San Marino, Republic of San Marino)-an injection-molded liner. A total of 198 samples were made, 99 of each assessed material. They were exposed to different cleaning methods-a toothbrush, a toothbrush and soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste (BlendaMed, Procter&Gamble, Cincinnati, OH, USA), a toothpaste and denture cleaning paste (Protefix Hygiene Denture Paste, Queisser Pharma, Germany), denture cleansing tablets (Protefix Hygiene Cleaning Tablets, Queisse Pharma, Germany), and a disinfecting spray (Aftermat, Port Jefferson Station, New York City, NY, USA)-for 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, and 15 min. The image acquisition was performed with scanning electron microscopy and samples were analyzed for the homogeneity of their surfaces-the presence of holes, grooves, precipitate, and small and large separating pieces of the material marking departures from this homogeneity. For each type of damage, one point was given. Continuous data from two groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U testing. Due to a small sample size and distribution of variables other than normal, to compare more than two groups, Kruskal-Wallis testing with post hoc analysis (Dunn test with Bonferroni correction) was used. Categorical data were compared with the chi-square test and the Fisher's exact test. The Mollosil Plus material should be decontaminated with the use of a toothbrush or toothbrush with soap, while Plastitanium material should be disinfected. Plastitanium samples are more susceptible to damage during the decontamination procedures than Mollosil Plus.

The effect of decontamination procedures on elastic polymeric materials used in dental mouthguards fabrication.

PURPOSE: Mouthguards are commonly used in the prevention of head and mouth injuries in many sport disciplines. Elastic polymeric materials used in their fabrication absorb the energy of impact. However, decontamination procedures may cause damage to their surface causing deterioration of their properties and favouring pathogen colonization. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of different cleaning methods on mouthguard materials, surface quality. METHODS: The material for the research consisted of 81 samples made from polymeric materials used for custom mouthguard fabrication - Impak, Corflex Orthodontic and Erkoflex. Samples were viewed under a scanning electron microscope after exposure to different cleaning methods. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of tested decontamination procedures and disinfecting agents showed statistically important ( p < 0.05) results for the presence of small and big separated pieces, grooves and holes. Out of all the cases the lowest indicator for occurrence was in the disinfecting spray - Aftermat. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the importance of the surface material of the mouthguard, disinfection should be the method of choice for maintaining its hygiene. Impak material samples, cleaned with the Aftermat spray, showed the lowest range of damage.

The prevalence of orodental trauma during epileptic seizures in terms of dental treatment - Survey study.

INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. Seizures that occur during attacks may lead to head injuries. It is crucial to establish proper prophylactic management against trauma occurrence, as nowadays prevention is not sufficient. AIM: Assessment of the frequency of head and intraoral trauma during epileptic seizures and to evaluate factors that may predispose to injuries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The questionnaire was carried out among 106 patients with epilepsy. Survey conducted questions regarding development of the disease and occurrence of orodental and head trauma. Results were statistically analyzed with the chi-square test (p<0.05). RESULTS: 52.4% of subjects admitted the occurrence of oral trauma during epileptic seizures. The most common were lips, tongue or cheeks injuries. 18% patients suffered from tooth crack and 17% from tooth fracture. 50% of respondents suffered from head trauma during seizures: 41% patients reported bruises, 39% burns, 37% wounds, 10% nose fractures, 7% eye socket trauma and 3% skull crack. 14.1% of respondents experienced dentist refusal to undertake treatment, while 4% of patients had epileptic attack during dental procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Dental trauma is common result of epileptic seizures. It is necessary to implement prophylactic management to prevent hard and soft tissues injuries, for example by using custom-made mouthguards. Moreover, specially designed dental programs for this group of patients should be provided.

A comparison of impact force reduction by polymer materials used for mouthguard fabrication.

PURPOSE: The essential function of mouthguards is protection against the effects of injuries sustained during sports activities. This purpose will be successfully achieved if appropriate materials ensuring sufficient reduction of the injury force are used for mouthguard fabrication. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the force reduction capability of selected materials as well as to identify which material reduces the impact force to the highest degree. METHODS: The material for the study were samples of polymers (6 samples in total), obtained during the process of deep pressing (2 samples), flasking (3 samples) and thermal injection (1 sample), which were tested for impact force damping using an impact device - Charpy impact hammer. The control group comprised of the ceramic material samples subjected to the hammer impact. The statistical analysis applied in this study were one-way Welch ANOVA with post-hoc Games-Howell pairwise comparisons. RESULTS: The test materials reduced the impact force of the impact hammer to varying degrees. The greatest damping capability was demonstrated for the following materials: Impak with 1:1 powder-to-liquid weight ratio polymerized with the conventional flasking technique, and Corflex Orthodontic used in the thermal injection technique of mouthguard fabrication. CONCLUSIONS: Impak with 1:1 weight ratio and Corflex Orthodontic should be recommended for the fabrication of mouthguards since they demonstrated the most advantageous damping properties.

Comparative evaluation of custom and standard boil and bite (self-adapted) mouthguards and their effect on the functioning of the oral cavity.

BACKGROUND: Mouthguards provide an effective preventive method against the effects of injuries sustained during sports activities, in particular cycling, football, basketball, skiing or hockey. However, when placed in the oral cavity, they can induce disorders in basic physiological functions. AIM: The objective of this clinical study was to compare the effects of various custom mouthguards with generally available standard boil and bite mouthguards on the functions of the oral cavity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of a 168 mouthguards (five custom and three standard boil and bite mouthguards) were assessed in a questionnaire-based survey. Their negative effects on the integrity of mucosa, speech, breathing, salivary flow and taste as well as in terms of inducing gag reflex, tooth clenching and temporomandibular joint complaints were compared. RESULTS: Porida mouthguard was reported to have the most adverse effects on oral functions. In the majority of the respondents, the remaining mouthguards did not have any adverse effects on the stomatognathic system functions. CONCLUSIONS: Mouthguards do not significantly disturb basic functions of the stomatognathic system. Standard Porida mouthguards were shown to have the most unfavourable effect on oral functions.

Dental trauma prevention during endotracheal intubation--review of literature.

Endotracheal intubation is a procedure performed during general anaesthesia with the use of an endotracheal tube in order to maintain a patent airway. This routinely used procedure is connected with a risk of complications within the region of the masticatory system. Trauma of teeth, their surrounding structures and the soft tissue of the oral cavity is observed in app. 1.38 per 1000 procedures. The main causes of this damage are the surgical skills and experience of the surgeon, the anatomical conditions present and the mode of conducting the procedure. In order to reduce the risk of postoperative complications, patients with a high risk of sustaining an injury during endotracheal intubation should be equipped with elastic mouthguards, which reduces the possibility of damage. The scoring in a scale of endotracheal intubation difficulty should be used for qualification for the use of such mouthguards.

Assessment of custom and standard, self-adapted mouthguards in terms of comfort and users subjective impressions of their protective function.

BACKGROUND: Various sports disciplines involve some risk of injury. Orofacial injuries constitute 4-18% of all sports-related injuries. Mouthguards are an effective method of preventing injuries and their consequences during various sports activities, especially cycling, football, basketball, handball, skiing, and hockey. Mouthguards can cause discomfort when placed in the oral cavity, in particular due to the fact that a minimal thickness of 4 mm in the labial region is necessary to reduce the impact force of an injury. AIM: The objective was to provide user's general clinical assessment of custom mouthguards made from various polymer materials and with various technologies (thermoforming pressing, traditional flasking, injection molding) and of standard 'boil and bite' mouthguards available on the market in terms of general comfort and their subjective impressions of the protective function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 168 mouthguards (five types of custom mouthguards and three types of standard 'boil and bite' mouthguards) were assessed by 21 athletes practicing various disciplines, who were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding general comfort and subjective impressions of protective function based on a 5-point scale. RESULTS: Custom mouthguards made with the injection technique from ethyl vinyl acetate received the best scores due to the high level of comfort and the sense of protection they provided. CONCLUSIONS: Custom mouthguards, especially those fabricated with the injection molding technique of Corflex Orthodontic, were shown to be superior to standard mouthguards in terms of their comfort and users' subjective impressions of their protective function.

Comparison of usability properties of custom-made and standard self-adapted mouthguards.

BACKGROUND: Sports-related injuries, such as those typically incurred during bicycle racing, playing football, basketball, handball, hockey, and while skiing, represent a common problem in dental practice. The use of mouthguards helps prevent such injuries. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate clinical usability of custom mouthguards made of various polymers with the use of various techniques versus that of the 'boil-and-bite' mouthguards available on the market. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five types of custom-made and three types of 'boil-and-bite' mouthguards, represented by 168 devices in total, were evaluated in terms of usability with the use of a questionnaire. RESULTS: The usability of custom mouthguards, especially the ones molded from Corflex, was rated much higher than that of self-adapted mouthguards. Thus, it is the custom mouthguards that should be suggested to and fitted in patients prone to orofacial injuries.