Australia’s wizards of titanium printing have unveiled their latest product - a mouthpiece that could save lives.

CSIRO researchers have worked with Australian dental company Oventus, to produce a custom mouthpiece to prevent sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea creates dangerous pauses in breath during sleep, which have a broad range of negative health impacts.

The team created the mouthpiece from 3D scans of a patient’s mouth.

It is printed in titanium and coated with a medical grade plastic, with individual pieces customised for each patient.

The 3D scanning and rapid production methods mean that every unit will be tailored to the mouth of the wearer.

Oventus CEO, Neil Anderson, said the key to the new treatment was in the advanced design.

“This new device is tailored to an individual’s mouth using a 3D scan and is used only on the top teeth which make it more compact and far more comfortable,” Mr Anderson said.

“[The] mouthpiece bypasses all obstructions by having airways that deliver air to the back of the throat and it will also stop patients from snoring.”

About a million Australians suffer from sleep apnoea, which can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeats, heart attacks and diabetes. This number is expected to increase due to growing obesity levels and an aging population.

Dr John Barnes leads CSIRO’s titanium printing lab, and says this is exactly the kind of project to show that Australian manufacturing has a future on the cutting edge.

“When Oventus came to CSIRO with this idea, we were really excited. The possibilities of 3D printing are endless and the fact that we can now design and print a completely customised mouthpiece for patients is revolutionary,” Dr Barnes said.

“It’s an exciting prospect for people suffering from the debilitating disorder and the design offers significant benefits which cannot be achieved with more traditional manufacturing techniques.”

The device is expected to be available next year.