Objective: Using support devices generally known as orthoses is common in curing skeletal-muscular deformities and in so doing, application of thermoplastic materials is of great important. The present work considers the various types of such materials and describes their characteristics.
Methods: in conducting the study, major scientific data bases including ISI web of knowledge, Scopus, Google Scholar and PubMed were searched for keywords such as thermoplastic materials, orthosis, and face braces. Moreover, thermoplastic materials were classified based on their melting point and their formability.  
Results: on the whole, thermoplastic materials can be classified into three main classes involving no-heat moldable, low-head moldable and high-head moldable materials.
Conclusion:  As different types of thermoplastic materials are used in making orthoses, identifying their applications is of utmost importance. The study suggests that the choice of such materials needs to be done based on their mechanical features, their durability and their mold ability.   

Keywords: Thermoplastic materials, Orthosis, Features of thermoplastic materials

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