OPRO

Company Details

Dr Anthony Lovat BDS graduated from University College Hospital, London in 1981 as a dental surgeon. He then founded OPRO in the late 1990s and remains managing director there. The name OPRO comes from the first letters of “Oral Protection” and the company was established with the aim of reducing oral-dental trauma and concussions by introducing custom fitting mouthguards into the schools of the UK.

After carrying out background research, gradually a comprehensive library of scientific journal papers on oral protection and mouthguards was compiled. This research showed that the principles of mouthguard design were well documented and proven. These were:

• Size and shape. Minimum and maximum coverage for optimum protection and comfort

• Thickness. Minimum and maximum for optimum protection and comfort

• Energy Absorption. Minimum requirements for effectiveness (<10kn transmitted="" force="" under="" test="" procedures="" span="">

• Retention. Minimum force required to displace mouthguard (>5N force under test procedures)

Between 1996 and 2006 OPRO custom mouthguards were refined in design and materials to achieve the best possible results in all the above in line with scientific journals and the basis for new Standards were established. In 2005/2006 OPRO employed the services of a CE (European Standard) expert to draw up an internal technical file based on all the work of the previous 10 years, documenting manufacturing procedures, technical specifications and tests to verify that each mouthguard made conformed to this standard.

Between 2000 and 2006 Dr Lovat and the OPRO team started work on a new Boil and Bite mouthguard (later called the OPROshield), based on recognising that none of the mouthguards sold into the retail sector would pass the Standards that were being developed. The underlying principle was that a Boil and Bite was required that could pass this Standard. In March 2007 the OPROshield was released in the UK, the first Boil and Bite mouthguard range to fully satisfy and pass the CE certification process. Having won the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2007, OPRO released a new range of mouthguards, aimed at the retail sector, called the OPROshield.

Growth in the UK has steadied as the Company now supplies the lion’s share of this market and is the official supplier to England Rugby, but, internationally, there is still strong growth. Within the last few months OPRO has become the official supplier to the GAA (Irish Football) in Ireland and is about to become the official supplier to the All Blacks in New Zealand.

Sales in OPROshield have continued to increase year on year, not only in the UK but internationally too, and the product is now distributed in over 20 countries overseas. Aware of the need to protect not only teeth but other parts of the body to, OPRO took on the UK distributorship of Mueller Sports Medicine in 2011 off the back of their success in the UK market. Mueller offers a wide range of supports, tapes and strapping used by sports people as well as individuals recovering from injuries. This has been made possible by building upon OPRO’s access to a substantial sector of the sports retail market and school outfitters in the UK achieved via OPROshield. In the years since the OPROshield was first created, modifications and improvements have been made to the range to improve the fitting process and comfort of the mouthguards. All OPRO custom-fit and OPROshield self-fit mouthguards included a dental warranty valid for a year from the date of manufacture of the mouthguard/purchase of the mouthguard.

The major part of OPRO’s success has been based upon developing a mouthguard brand renowned for its quality, and translating this into a distribution brand renowned for its speed and efficiency. For example, all orders received during the day before 4:30pm are dispatched the same day for next day delivery. Additionally all brands that they distribute are perceived as being premium.

OPRO holds an almost unique position within manufacturing today in that both our custom-fit and self-fit mouthguards are manufactured in the UK. This means that they can ensure all of their products undergo thorough inspection before you they go into your mouth! OPRO believe that they have many reasons to take pride in their products which are all underpinned by values of aiming to provide excellent products at competitive prices from a company who is the expert in their field.