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With more than 25 years of experience pioneering industry-leading oral protection, OPRO is the world's most advanced manufacturer of mouthguards. Working with athletes from the entire sporting spectrum, it supplies schools, grassroots clubs, and global sports superstars at England Rugby, UFC, and GB Taekwondo, among others.
Whether it’s the local village rugby pitch or the UFC Octagon at the iconic MGM Grand, there is a good chance OPRO mouthguards will be on show, providing unparalleled protection to participants.
OPRO has worked closely with Polygiene® for more than half a decade and our groundbreaking antimicrobial technology, Polygiene BioMaster™, is an integral component in several of its mouthguards and mouthguard cases. In this case study, we discuss how Polygiene BioMaster benefits OPRO products and explore the history of that relationship with Daniel Lovat, Commercial Director at OPRO.
Established in 1997 by Dr. Anthony Lovat BDS, OPRO has been at the forefront of sports oral protection innovation for over two decades. A dentist by profession, Anthony was treating a significant number of sports-related teeth issues when he decided that remedial action alone wasn’t enough and there was more he could do to prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
The OPRO Custom-Fit Mouthguard was the solution. Incorporating a professional fitting service that involved making molds of customers’ teeth and gums, it was quickly adopted by athletes in a wide variety of sports. For many years, the OPRO Custom-Fit was the pinnacle of mouthguard technology, and a generation of sportspeople and schoolchildren benefited from its protection.
Daniel detailed how the OPRO Custom-Fit mouthguard laid the foundations for future innovations. “From all the data gathered over the past 25 years – more than a million mouths fitted – we developed patented mouthguard technology that allows anyone to take an accurate impression of their teeth to create a bespoke fitting mouthguard. With this cutting-edge technology, the OPRO Self-Fit mouthguard range was created.” Unwilling to rest on its laurels, OPRO continued to push boundaries and released the game-changing OPRO Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard. Using revolutionary fitting technology to mold around the teeth and gums accurately, it provides dentist-level fit, comfort and protection without athletes having to leave their homes.
Innovation has always been at the heart of what OPRO does. From its first Custom-Fit to the outstanding convenience and performance of the latest Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard, it has strived to deliver the best for those athletes utilizing its products. This dedication has not gone unnoticed, and OPRO received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2007 and 2019.
At the same time, it received plaudits and acclaim from the most important group of all – athletes themselves. From professional UFC fighters delighted by the ease of immediately achieving a perfect mold with the Instant Custom-Fit to grassroots hockey players who love to personalize their mouthguards with club colors, sportspeople trust OPRO mouthguards to provide bespoke, comfortable, best-in-class protection for their teeth.
This commitment to innovation, along with Anthony’s oral hygiene expertise, made Polygiene a natural partner and ensured our antimicrobial solutions became an essential aspect of their product offering.
Polygiene BioMaster is an advanced antimicrobial solution that utilizes powerful silver ion technology to prevent the growth of bacteria, fungi, mold, and other potentially harmful microorganisms on treated surfaces. Tests show that it eliminates 99.99% of bacteria and is a highly effective hygiene technology coupled with a traditional cleaning regime. For OPRO customers, this is a remarkably valuable quality.
Daniel explained how Polygiene BioMaster fits into the OPRO product range. “We integrate Polygiene BioMaster into our Silver, Gold, and Platinum Self-Fit mouthguards as standard. It’s also available as an upgrade in our Instant Custom-Fit mouthguards, and we find the vast majority of customers opt to upgrade.”
Polygiene BioMaster is integrated into materials at the point of manufacture, providing protection for a product’s lifespan. It also ensures the technology is entirely safe and non-leaching. Both of these qualities and the simplicity with which OPRO could introduce the Polygiene BioMaster additive into its manufacturing process made our solution OPRO’s preferred choice.
Polygiene BioMaster benefits athletes at every level, from grassroots enthusiasts to world champions, explained Daniel. “Kids throw their mouthguards in their kit bags at the end of their session, and they’re rolling around with their dirty socks and all their other kit. Polygiene BioMaster gives athletes and parents peace of mind by assuring them these mouthguards have that extra level of hygiene protection.”
At the upper end of the sporting spectrum, professional athletes are understandably interested in reducing their chances of exposure to harmful microorganisms. When operating in the top 1% of your chosen discipline, even the slightest microbe-related dip in performance can be the difference between success and failure.
For Daniel, antimicrobial technology is a key USP in OPRO products. “Our customers are looking for a mouthguard that inhibits microbial growth and stays hygienic in between cleans. It’s something they want and something they value a great deal. Polygiene BioMaster complements our ability to provide an advanced, premium-quality mouthguard that meets customer needs.”
However, the benefits of working with Polygiene are not limited to product performance. OPRO also receives support and assistance from the Polygiene team on a range of issues, noted Daniel. “We always work closely with the Polygiene team, especially around key periods such as our Back to School campaign. They help us promote Polygiene BioMaster’s unique qualities. It’s great to have access to expert antimicrobial knowledge that helps us educate our customers on the benefits of Polygiene BioMaster and leverage our USPs.”
The OPRO-Polygiene partnership is founded on a mutual understanding that technological innovation delivers superior products for customers. Polygiene’s antimicrobial protection contributes to OPRO’s reputation as an innovator and industry leader, helping it to maintain its position at the head of the sector. “Offering Polygiene BioMaster antimicrobial protection has become part and parcel of who we are. Our customers know the solution and what it does, and they expect to be able to choose mouthguards that benefit from antimicrobial technology.”
The Polygiene team looks forward to continuing our work with OPRO and seeing what the future holds. The news that the company will partner with Prevents Biometrics to integrate the latter’s Head Impact Monitoring Technology into mouthguards suggests OPRO will remain at the cutting edge of sport safety. As a brand, we are delighted to be associated with such a continuously innovative organization. We will continue to help OPRO deliver groundbreaking oral protection products and are excited to play a role in its journey going forwards.
To learn more about OPRO, visit the OPRO website. You can browse the complete range of OPRO mouthguards at its online store.
Disclaimer: Polygiene BioMaster does not replace proper hygiene and cleaning practices.
