Pilot Study of the Sage Guard for Oral Cavity Protection

September 24, 2026 updated by: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Pilot Feasibility Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Usability of the Sage Guard for Protecting the Vital Structures of the Oral Cavity

The study will evaluate how safe the device is and how easy it is for healthcare providers to use in patients receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Withdrawn

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A device will be placed in participants that are intubated in the ICU. The device will remain in place for up to 21 days, removal of the device will coincide with extubation. Surveys will be completed by experienced healthcare providers in the ICU to answer work related questions and provide a baseline for oral trauma in the ICU while intubated. Bedside nurses will be asked to answer questions about their experience with the device during participant use to understand ease of usability and integration into the workflow.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

13 years to 65 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Intubated ICU patients on mechanical ventilation
  • 2 sets of opposing teeth that occlude on both left and right sides
  • Attending physician requested a dental evaluation as part of the patient's care

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active oral infection or trauma preventing safe device placement
  • Known allergy to thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
  • Severe facial or jaw trauma incompatible with device placement
  • Mixed dentition, primary dentition, and edentulous patients

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Sage Guard Intervention

Participants will wear the Sage Guard device during the study procedure to evaluate its feasibility, safety, usability, and effectiveness in protecting vital structures of the oral cavity.
Device: Sage Guard oral protection device

The study device is a single-use mouth device made of a soft plastic material (thermoplastic polyurethane). It has side bite blocks that help keep the teeth apart, a center support that helps hold the breathing tube in place, and tongue guards that help protect the tongue from injury. The device is designed for use in patients with an endotracheal (breathing) tube to help prevent injury to the mouth and tongue caused by biting and to help keep the breathing tube stable.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of oral trauma in intubated patients
Time Frame: Daily assessment up to Day 21

The occurrence of oral injuries, including injury to the tongue, lips, cheeks, gums, or other oral tissues, during the period of endotracheal intubation. The incidence of oral trauma will be compared between patients managed with the study device and those receiving standard care.
Daily assessment up to Day 21
Incidence of endotracheal tube displacement in intubated patients
Time Frame: Daily assessment up to Day 21

The occurrence of endotracheal tube movement from its intended position during the period of intubation. The incidence of tube displacement will be compared between patients managed with the study device and those receiving standard care.
Daily assessment up to Day 21
Incidence of endotracheal tube damage in intubated patients
Time Frame: Daily assessment up to Day 21

The occurrence of endotracheal tube damage during the period of intubation. The incidence of tube damage will be compared between patients managed with the study device and those receiving standard care.
Daily assessment up to Day 21

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Frequency of movement of study device position during endotracheal intubation
Time Frame: Daily assessment up to Day 21

The occurrence of movement of the study device from its intended position during the period of endotracheal intubation. The frequency of device displacement events will be recorded.
Daily assessment up to Day 21
Likert Scale Scores of study device use by bedside nursing staff
Time Frame: Daily assessment up to Day 21

Feasibility will be assessed by nursing staff using a standardized questionnaire evaluating ease of device placement, maintenance, removal, and integration into routine patient care workflow. A Likert scale is scored by assigning numbers to each answer choice. You then add up or average these numbers to turn soft feelings into hard data. A standard five-point scale gives a score of 1 to 5 for each question - Higher totals mean more of that trait or feeling.
Daily assessment up to Day 21

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Obsolete Engineering Co.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Amir Taha, DDS, Obsolete Engineering Co.
  • Principal Investigator: Jesus A. Valdez, DDS, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 24, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB00149615

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. Due to the small sample size in this pilot feasibility study, sharing de-identified participant-level data could increase the risk of participant re-identification and compromise confidentiality.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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