Faculty of sports science students, physical education teachers, and athletes’ level of knowledge and attitude about mouthguards

Abstract

Objectives Traumatic dental injury occurs during sports competitions, training, and practice and can be prevented by the use of mouthguards. For this reason, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of sports science faculty students, physical education teachers, and athletes about mouthguards. Methods Five hundred thirty-two participants were reached via social media. In the questionnaire consisting of 20 questions, questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were asked in part 1, and questions about their level of knowledge and attitudes about the mouthguards were asked in part 2. Descriptive statistical analysis and a chi-square test were used to evaluate the data. Results The number of people who think that mouthguards protect the athlete from traumatic dental injury is 381 (71.6%). The number of people who think that mouthguards affect the performance of the athlete is positively 228 (42.9%). To protect against traumatic dental injury, 51.48% of the participants preferred the custom-made; 39.3% of them preferred the boil-bite; 33.22% of them preferred the standard/stock type mouth guard; and 22.96% of them preferred the helmet, and 18.26% of them preferred the face mask. Conclusions The knowledge and attitude of sports science faculty students, physical education teachers, and athletes are low about mouthguards. Since these people who are engaged in sports have a high exposure to traumatic dental injuries, education should be given to increase their awareness about mouthguards.

The production and materials of mouthguards: Conventional vs additive manufacturing - A systematic review

“…There is considerable debate about how the use of mouthguards affects an athlete's performance [ [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] ]. Some research that includes clinical studies and meta-analyses shows that personalized MTs do not negatively affect the athlete's performance, and in some cases their performance even improves [ [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] ]. However, other authors have reported on athletes who have stopped using MTs due to discomfort when wearing them, and who have experienced difficulties in breathing, speaking, and drinking [ [27] , [28] , [29] ].…”