Is there enough evidence that mouthguards do not affect athletic performance? A systematic literature review

Abstract

This systematic review provides evidence for sports professionals to advocate the use of custom-made mouthguards to prevent injury, and these devices do not impair performance. The scientific evidence should be interpreted carefully because there is a great variability in outcome measures and lack of important methodological details.

Effect of thickness and occlusal accommodation on the degree of satisfaction with mouthguard use among water polo players: A randomized crossover trial

“…Further research is warranted to assess the objective effect of custom‐made occlusal‐accommodated mouthguards on various athletic performance domains, including sprint swimming, vertical jumps in the water, precision/velocity on passing/shooting the ball, and muscular strength. The present results corroborate the lack of evidence about whether custom‐made mouthguards interfere with or improve an athlete's performance 16 . Consequently, oral appliances or occlusal‐accommodated mouthguards should not be recommended to improve athletic performance in the absence of high‐quality evidence to support this claim 37 …”

“…13 Custom-made mouthguards provide superior fit and retention, offer greater protection, and interfere less with speech and breathing than the other types of mouthguard. 7,[13][14][15] Although a recent review indicated that custom-made mouthguards do not impair athletic performance, 16 the optimal mouthguard design for water polo players is currently unknown.…”

“…14,26,27 However, other studies have found that wearing an occlusal-balanced appliance does not affect posture, muscle activity, or athletic performance, 28,29 resulting in this feature having unclear benefits. 16 Most mouthguards are fabricated without this occlusal accommodation, partly due to the higher costs of clinical and laboratory preparation, 23 so there is a need to assess the cost-benefit relationship of occlusal-accommodated mouthguards before advocating their widespread use to prevent orofacial injury. 30 The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of thickness and occlusal accommodation of custom-made mouthguards on the satisfaction of water polo players.…”

“…It has been reported that wearing an occlusal splint or a mouthguard with balanced occlusion can improve athletic performance by increasing muscle strength and achieving a more balanced body posture 14,26,27 . However, other studies have found that wearing an occlusal‐balanced appliance does not affect posture, muscle activity, or athletic performance, 28,29 resulting in this feature having unclear benefits 16 . Most mouthguards are fabricated without this occlusal accommodation, partly due to the higher costs of clinical and laboratory preparation, 23 so there is a need to assess the cost‐benefit relationship of occlusal‐accommodated mouthguards before advocating their widespread use to prevent orofacial injury 30…”

Systematic changes of the static upper body posture with a symmetric occlusion condition

“…To understand the link between specific occlusion condition and body posture better, investigations were initiated on immediate effects of different occlusion conditions of the body posture [4,[9][10][11][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. In a pilot study, März et al [10] could demonstrate that the fleche lombaire and the Kyphotic angle changed slightly with a symmetrical occlusal interference with cotton rolls compared to habitual bite position.…”