Experience of Orofacial Injuries and Use of Mouthguards - A Survey in German Elite Sport.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the experience of orofacial injuries and sports mouthguard use in German elite athletes.

DESIGN

A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted.

SETTING

The data were collected at the Institute of Applied Training Science (IAT, Leipzig, Germany) that provides regular primary care for elite athletes.

PARTICIPANTS

German elite athletes (18-35 years) from different disciplines with completed questionnaire on oral health in sports between May 2020 and April 2021 were included.

INTERVENTIONS: N/A.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of dental, oral, and facial injuries during sports career and mouthguard use (received information, ownership, frequency) were assessed and compared between disciplines with different risks for orofacial trauma.

RESULTS

In total, questionnaires of 337 athletes (23 ± 4 years, 50% female) were included. Disciplines were classified into high (HT, n = 20), medium (MT, n = 48), and low (LT, n = 269) risk for orofacial trauma. Substantial rates of injuries were identified; especially a lot of HT athletes reported orofacial injuries (HT: 55%, MT: 31%, LT: 17%; P ≤ 0.076) and dental injuries (HT: 30%, MT: 10%, LT: 7%; P ≤ 0.028). Mouthguards were rare (HT: 25%, MT: 0%, LT: 3%).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for more prevention of orofacial injuries in German elite sports for both HT and MT.