Prevalence of dental trauma and use of mouthguards in professional handball players

Abstract

The incidence of head and orofacial injuries among professional handball players is high. Mouthguards prevented severe dental injuries such as tooth fracture and avulsion, but their use was still limited.

The use of mouthguards and prevalence of dento‐alveolar trauma among athletes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The second meta‐analysis was performed using the four studies classified as “free” of problems in the summary questions. However, data used for this analysis showed a substantial heterogeneity ( I 2 = 70%). During the sensitivity analysis, the heterogeneity ranged from 0% to 81% and, in an attempt to reduce heterogeneity, the Lang et al study was removed from this analysis.…”

“…It was observed that the prevalence of dental trauma within the included studies varied between 7.1% and 71.5% among athletes. Although this percentage varied significantly, 10 studies indicated that the prevalence of trauma was less than 40%, depending on the type of sport practiced . Another relevant factor to these prevalences is that the use of mouthguards is not a current habit among sports practitioners such as soccer, basketball, or volleyball …”

“…Eight studies classified as “free of problems” or “with minor problems” were included in the first meta‐analysis, in which four reported an association between mouthguard use and trauma prevention; while the other four did not show a difference between the use of mouthguards and the prevention of trauma. Overall, the first meta‐analysis indicated a positive association between the use of mouthguards and lower prevalence of DT ( P < 0.001).…”

Satisfaction with shortening the palatal extension of a mouthguard for water polo players: A randomized crossover study

“…Despite this, fewer than 8% of water polo players from Switzerland, Croatia, and Catalonia regularly wear a mouthguard during training or competition . The main reasons for this are that they consider them unnecessary or uncomfortable, or that they were not advised to wear one . Several strategies could be implemented to increase the frequency of mouthguard use among water polo players.…”

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

“…Traumatic dental injuries represent a major health problem in many societies due to their high prevalence, treatment time consumption, cost to treat, and psychological impact. Studies conducted in different countries reported that sport activities increase the risk of these injuries. Most injuries affect the upper jaw, with the maxillary anterior teeth being most prone to injury.…”