Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Sports Medicine
Published in: Sports Medicine 6/2014

01-06-2014 | Review Article

Factors Affecting Sports-Related Orofacial Injuries and the Importance of Mouthguards

Authors: Elif Bahar Tuna, Emre Ozel

Published in: Sports Medicine | Issue 6/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Sports dentistry is one of the most recent and upcoming fields in dentistry. It includes mainly the prevention and management of sports-related orofacial injuries and associated oral diseases or traumas. The dentist can play a critical role in informing athletes, coaches, and patients and their parents about the importance of prevention, treatment, and diagnosis for orofacial injuries in sports. The most significant aspect in preventing sports-related orofacial injuries is wearing basic protective devices such as properly fitting helmets, face masks, and/or mouthguards. A properly fitted mouthguard prevents violent contact between the upper and lower dentition. According to the American Society for Testing and Materials, there are three types of mouthguards: custom-fabricated mouthguards, mouth-formed guards, and stock mouthguards. Essential properties of the various materials used in the manufacture of mouthguards include water absorption, density, and thickness as well as temperature transmission, energy absorption, and drawing strength (tensile strength) of custom-made mouthguards. Currently, a variety of materials is being used for mouthguards, most commonly polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene copolymer or ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and polyvinyl chloride. Mouthguard use is significant for athletes, since dentists play an important role in the design and application of these in clinical practice. The purpose of this article is to review the importance of mouthguard use, the incidence and location of orofacial sports injuries, the risk factors for such injuries, and the types of mouthguards and their roles in the prevention of sports-related orofacial injuries.
Literature
1.
2.
3.
Rodd HD, Chesham DJ. Sports-related oral injury and mouthguard use among Sheffield school children. Community Dent Health. 1997;14:25–30.PubMed
4.
Smith WS, Kracher CM. Sports-related dental injuries and sports dentistry. Dent Assist. 1998;67:102–16.
5.
6.
7.
Macko DJ, Gfrasso JE, Powell EA, et al. A study of fractures teeth in a school population. J Dent Child. 1979;46:130–3.
8.
Burden DJ. An investigation of the association between overjet size, lip coverage, and traumatic injury to maxillary incisors. Eur J Orthod. 1995;17:513–7.PubMedCrossRef
9.
Hamilton FA, Hill FJ, Holloway PJ. An investigation of dentoalveolar trauma and its treatment in an adolescent population. Part 1: the prevalence and incidence of injuries and the extent and adequacy of treatment received. Br Dent J. 1997;182:91–5.PubMedCrossRef
10.
Kargul B, Caglar E, Tanboga I. Dental trauma in Turkish children, Istanbul. Dent Traumatol. 2003;19:72–5.PubMedCrossRef
11.
Andreasen JO, Andreasen FM. Textbook and color atlas of traumatic injuries to the teeth. 4th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2007. p. 220–2.
12.
Braham RL, Roberts MW, Morris ME. Management of dental trauma in children and adolescents. J Traumatol. 1977;17:857–65.
13.
Chapman PJ. Prevention of orofacial injuries in children and young adolescents. Aust Med Sport. 1986;18:3–6.
14.
15.
Caglar E, Kargul B, Tanboga I. Dental trauma and mouthguard usage among ice hockey players in Turkey premier league. Dent Traumatol. 2005;21:29–31.PubMedCrossRef
16.
Caglar E, Kuscu OO, Kiranatlioglu G, Sandalli N. Do American football players in Turkey protect themselves from dental or orofacial trauma? Dent Traumatol. 2009;25:115–7.PubMedCrossRef
17.
Gassner R, Tuli T, Hachl O, et al. Craniomaxillofacial trauma: a 10 year review of 9,543 cases with 21,067 injuries. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2003;31:51–61.PubMedCrossRef
18.
Newsome PR, Tran DC, Cooke MS. The role of the mouthguard in the prevention of sports-related dental injuries: a review. Int J Pediatr Dent. 2001;11:396–404.CrossRef
19.
Petersson EE, Andersson L, Sörensen S. Traumatic oral vs non-oral injuries. Swed Dent J. 1997;21:55–68.PubMed
20.
Andreasen JO, Ravn JJ. Epidemiology of traumatic dental injuries to primary and permanent teeth in a Danish population sample. Int J Oral Surg. 1972;1:235–9.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Soporowski NJ, Tesini DA, Weiss AI. Survey of orofacial sports-related injuries. J Mass Dent Soc. 1994;43:16–20.PubMed
22.
Tysvaer AT. Head and neck injuries in soccer. Impact of minor trauma. Sports Med. 1992;14:200–13.PubMedCrossRef
23.
Bruzzone E, Cocito L, Pisani R. Intracranial delayed epidural hematoma in a soccer player. A case report. Am J Sports Med. 2000;28:901–3.PubMed
24.
Yeşil Duymuş Z, Gungor H. Use of mouthguard rates among university athletes during sport activities in Erzurum, Turkey. Dent Traumatol. 2009;25:318–22.
25.
Batista AM, Ferreira Fde O, Marques LS, et al. Risk factors associated with facial fractures. Braz Oral Res. 2012;26:119–25.
26.
Pinkham JR, Kohn DW. Epidemiology and prediction of sport-related traumatic injuries. Dent Clin North Am. 1991;35:609–25.PubMed
27.
Glassman M. The first line of defense. N Y State Dent J. 1995;61:48–50.PubMed
28.
Rothman D. Pediatric orofacial injuries. J Clin Dent Assoc. 1996;24:37–49.
29.
Kumamoto DP, Maeda Y. A literature review of sports-related orofacial trauma. Gen Dent. 2004;52:270–80.PubMed
30.
Järvinen S. Traumatic injuries to upper permanent incisors related to age and incisal overjet: a retrospective study. Acta Odontolol Scand. 1979;37:335–8.CrossRef
31.
Bauss O, Rohling J, Schwestka-Polly R. Prevalence of traumatic injuries to the permanent incisors in candidates for orthodontic treatment. Dent Traumatol. 2004;20:61–6.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Lee-Knight CT, Harrison EL, Price CJ. Dental injuries at the 1989 Canada games: an epidemiological study. J Can Dent Assoc. 1992;58:810–5.PubMed
33.
Kumamoto DP. Sports dentistry. Conpendium. 1993;14:492–8.
34.
Flanders RBM. The incidence of orofacial injuries in sports: a pilot study in Illinois. J Am Dent Assoc. 2005;126:491–6.CrossRef
35.
Glendor U. Aetiology and risk factors related to traumatic dental injuries: a review of the literature. Dental Traumatol. 2009;25:19–31.CrossRef
36.
Hoffmann J, Alfter G, Rudolph NK, et al. Experimental comparative study of various mouthguards. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1999;15:157–63.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Winters JE Sr. Commentary: role of properly fitted mouthguards in prevention of sport-related concussion. J Athl Train. 2001;36:339–41.PubMedCentralPubMed
38.
39.
Josell SD, Abrams RG. Traumatic injuries to the dentition and its supporting structures. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1982;29:717–43.PubMed
40.
Labella CR, Smith BW, Sigurdsson A. Effect of mouthguards on dental injuries and concussions in college basketball. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34:41–4.PubMedCrossRef
41.
Wisniewski JF, Guskiewicz K, Trope M, et al. Incidence of cerebral concussions associated with type of mouthguard used in college football. Dent Traumatol. 2004;20:143–9.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Knapik JJ, Marshall SW, Lee RB, et al. Mouthguards in sport activities: history, physical properties and injury prevention effectiveness. Sports Med. 2007;37:117–44.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Ranalli DN. Prevention of sports-related traumatic dental injuries. Dent Clin North Am. 2000;44:35–51.PubMed
44.
Oikarinen KS, Salonen MAM, Korhonen J. Comparison 238 of the guarding capacities of mouth protectors. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1993;9:115–9.PubMedCrossRef
45.
Johnsen DC, Winters JE. Prevention of intraoral trauma in sports. Dent Clin North Am. 1991;35:657–66.PubMed
46.
American Society for Testing and Materials. Standard practice for care and use of athletic mouth protectors. Philadelphia: American Society for Testing and Materials; 2006. ASTM F697-00.
47.
48.
McCarthy MF. Sports and mouth protection. Gen Dent. 1990;38:343–6.PubMed
49.
Ranalli DN. Prevention of craniofacial injuries in football. Dent Clin North Am. 1991;35:627–45.PubMed
50.
51.
Badel T, Jerolimov V, Pandurić J, et al. Custom-made mouthguards and prevention of orofacial injuries in sports. Acta Med Croatica. 2007;61:9–14.PubMed
52.
Auroy P, Duchatelard P, Zmantar NE, et al. Hardness and shock absorption of silicone rubber for mouth guards. J Prosthet Dent. 1996;75:463–71.PubMedCrossRef
53.
Scott J, Burke FJT, Watts DC. A review of dental injuries and the use of mouthguards in contact team sports. Br Dent J. 1994;176:310–4.PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Factors Affecting Sports-Related Orofacial Injuries and the Importance of Mouthguards
Authors
Elif Bahar Tuna
Emre Ozel
Publication date
01-06-2014
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Sports Medicine / Issue 6/2014
Print ISSN: 0112-1642
Electronic ISSN: 1179-2035
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0167-9

Other articles of this Issue 6/2014

Sports Medicine 6/2014 Go to the issue

Erratum

Erratum to: S100B as a Marker for Brain Damage and Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption Following Exercise

Review Article

Physical and Physiological Profiles of Taekwondo Athletes

Systematic Review

The Effect of Strength Training on Performance in Endurance Athletes

Review Article

Interference between Concurrent Resistance and Endurance Exercise: Molecular Bases and the Role of Individual Training Variables

Systematic Review

Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Arterial Stiffness in Obese Populations

Systematic Review

What is Normal? Female Lower Limb Kinematic Profiles During Athletic Tasks Used to Examine Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk: A Systematic Review