The Use of a Modified Occlusal Guard in Comatose Patients

Abstract

When a comatose patient experiences a seizure event, his or her healthcare provider’s main concern is the stabilization of the patient. However, it is important to provide protection to the oral structures to prevent severe damage from reflex grinding, masticating, and gnawing. There are several appliances available for this necessary protection but these are often inaccessible in developing countries due to various reasons, such as lack of availability or financial constraints. Sports mouth guards, which reduce the chance of shock, concussions, and other injuries as a result of high impact collisions and blows during athletic competition, are inexpensive and widely available in these developing countries. A simple mouth guard can be constructed from these pre-existing mouth guards which would be sufficient to provide the needed support for the aforementioned oral structures during seizure events. This case report presents a mouth guard fabricated from inexpensive sports mouth guards, specifically to prevent trauma to the tongue and other oral structures during seizures in a comatose patient.