Are all mouthguards the same and safe to use? The influence of occlusal supporting mouthguards in decreasing bone distortion and fractures

Abstract

The safety benefits of mouthguards have been demonstrated in many studies, with many authors and sports dentists strongly recommending the wearing of mouthguards. However, wearing a mouthguard with incorrect occlusion might cause a variety of problems. It comes as no surprise that a traumatic blow to the chin, while wearing an insufficient mouthguard lacking anterior contact, can result in severe distortions to the mandibular bone, and bone fractures. The aim of this study was to clarify how ineffective insufficient occlusal supporting mouthguards are and how dangerous they can be to use. Consequently, in this study, occlusal supportive areas were varied and accelerations of head and distortions of the mandible were measured using an artificial skull model and a pendulum impact device. As a result, the distortions of the mandible tended to increase as the supported area decreased. On the contrary, accelerations of the head decreased as the occlusion part decreased. Thus, a lot of impact energy was consumed in the distortion of the mandible; accordingly, it seemed that only a little destructive energy was transferred to the head. From this study, it would seem that wearing a mouthguard, which is insufficient in the occlusion, has the potential of causing a bone fracture of the mandible. Consequently, mouthguards should have proper occlusion.

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

“…Similar to our findings, previous studies have reported that athletes who use custom mouthguards are more likely to be informed of the benefits, indications, and properties of the mouthguard by their dentist [22,23]. Kenyon and Loos compared custom and boil-and-bite mouthguards in terms of comfort, use, adjustment, and patient preferences.…”

“…Effective protection is the objective pursued by every athlete who purchases a mouthguard. There is a universal belief that thicker protectors provide more security while also being more uncomfortable, a belief that influences athlete preference [22]. In many cases, this belief is the result of advertising, which affects whether an athlete will purchase an established protector.…”

“…The use of mouthguards in contact sports is imperative because of the aesthetic and functional consequences of injuries to the maxillary region [21,22]. As important factors that influence mouthguard use, the convenience and efficiency of the mouthguard have been studied extensively.…”

Easy fabrication of a new type of mouthguard incorporating a hard insert and space and offering improved shock absorption ability

“…Before the mouthguard is cut and trimmed completely, occlusion is adjusted on the articulated model to prevent the mouthguard from becoming distorted. This mouthguard should offer fully balanced occlusion and good protection against direct impact, the most common type of impact, except in sports such as American Football, where damage is more likely to arise from horizontal impact due to use of a faceguard (30) (Fig.9). …”

Spor Li̇sesi̇ Öğrenci̇leri̇ni̇n, Beden Eği̇ti̇mi̇ Öğretmenleri̇ni̇n Ve Di̇ş Heki̇mleri̇ni̇n Ağiz Koruyucular Hakkindaki̇ Düşünceleri̇

“…Bu artış, birçok yararlı etkilerinin beraberinde potansiyel yaralanma riskini de beraberinde getirmektedir 18,19 . Bu nedenle, spor ile ilgili yaralanmaların sayısının ve şiddetinin azaltılmaya çalışılması önemli bir hedef haline gelmiştir.…”