Occlusal splints are the most common devices for preventing bruxism and its consequences. Their application significantly reduces the pathologies of the dental and periodontal structures. Apart from the well-known technologies of manufacturing occlusal splints – thermo-vacuum forming, wax elimination and CAD/CAM machining, three-dimensional (3D) printing is a novel promising technique. It makes use of stereolithography, whereby the splint is built layer-by-layer through consecutive polymerization of a liquid photo-polymer by ultraviolet laser light. A very important stage in stereolithography following the 3D-printing is the post polymerization processing. It is a key moment in achieving biocompatibility and the final mechanical parameters – hardness, elasticity modulus, and strength. The process comprises two steps – washing with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) followed by post-curing in a polymerization device with an ultraviolet light source. The aim of the present study is determining the influence of the polymerization device’s light source on the mechanical characteristics of the occlusal splint.

Bruxism is considered an oral parafunction of involuntary grinding and clenching of the teeth. Occlusal splints are the most common method of preventing bruxism and its consequences. Their application significantly reduces the pathologies of the dental and periodontal structures. Infrared thermography is a noncontact method of temperature measurement whereby the detector is pointed remotely at a single spot. The purpose of the study is registering by means of infrared thermography the changes in the muscular activity during the period of occlusal splint prophylaxis. In the presence of pathological changes, splint therapy aims to return the joint-muscular complex of the masticatory apparatus to normal, which is associated with the activation of the adaptive capabilities of the organism. This dynamic process is associated with a rise in temperature. When achieving balance after wearing the splints for one and three months, a decrease in the registered temperature is naturally observed due to the created preconditions for elimination of the inflammation of the joint and the overload of the muscles.

Digital (electronic) axiography is an applicable promising technology with proven accuracy that allows registering the spatial location of the mandible and all lower jaw movements: mouth opening and closing, protrusion, left and right laterotrusion, dynamic function. In spite of bruxism treatment still being a controversial topic, occlusal splint application is proven to be the most efficient way of prevention. The purpose of the study is to develop a protocol of planning and producing preventive occlusal splints for bruxism management by means of digital axiography. The implementation of digital technologies reveals new possibilities in diagnosing, treating and tracking bruxism. With great attention to the individual trajectories of the lower jaw movements, the effectiveness of the occlusal splint prophylaxis is no longer hypothetical.