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Awareness and Use of Mouthguards in Athletes with a High Risk of Oral Trauma in Barcelona

Costa Palau S *,Beltran Llanes A ,Serrat Barón M ,Cabratosa Termens J

Background: Dental injuries are the most common sports-related orofacial injury type. Most such injuries may be prevented through the use of a protective mouthguard.
Aim: This study assessed the level of knowledge about mouthguards, the relative importance attributed to mouthguards, the factors influencing mouthguard choice and use, and the incidence of dental injury among athletes in Barcelona, Spain, according to age and sport.
Materials and Methods: A total of 127 athletes (mean age, 33 years; range, 16–50 years) from different sports (15 rugby, 51 field hockey, 20 trial, 17 kickboxing, 12 handball, and 12 taekwondo athletes) were administered an anonymous survey of 25 items concerning their opinion and use of mouthguards. For some parameters, a visual analogue scale (0–100 mm) was used. Parameters were compared relative to the age and sport of the athletes.
Results: More than half of the athletes (62.42%) reported that they used mouthguards. About 80% of athletes identified a lack of information regarding the properties and benefits of mouthguards. The main drawback to mouthguard use was difficulty breathing (~60%). Price was the main consideration in mouthguard choice for users of prefabricated and boil-and-bite mouthguards. For users of custom mouthguards, a lack of information from the dentist was the main drawback for purchase. Athletes with no dental trauma history and younger athletes ascribed lower importance to mouthguard use.
Conclusions: Athletes, teams, and health professionals should receive training and comprehensive educational materials on oral protective devices, to improve the understanding and use of protective mouthguards.