This research, carried out in Colombia, confirmed that utilizing mouthguards involved sports activities (soccer, basketball, and rugby) is intently associated to bodily danger, the opportunity of trauma, or earlier traumatic experiences. Its use is acknowledged as a practical however unattractive preventive gadget. Data is constructed by means of experiences amongst gamers of the identical or totally different sports activities, dialogue with well being professionals, or certified personnel. Figuring out components for the use or non-use of the mouthguard are consolation and flexibility of the participant throughout sports activities observe, poor communication, and value of the custom-made mouthguard with high quality requirements. Individuals acknowledge the significance of minimizing accidents or trauma on the stomatognathic degree and enhancing playability by creating methods utilizing the mouthguard; coinciding with the research by Udayamalee et al. (2023) carried out in Sri Lanka with the participation of 1340 education contact sports activities gamers (Soccer, Rugby, Hockey, Boxing, Martial arts and Basketball) [13] and a cross-sectional research carried by Vignesh et al. (2023) in 200 athletes within the India (Throw ball, Cricket, Volleyball, Basketball, Kabaddi and Karate) [18].
The research confirmed that gamers with extra years and extra expertise in soccer, basketball, and rugby have better data in regards to the mouthguard as a result of proximity of the gadget, creating sports activities consciousness of safeguarding private bodily integrity and that of the opposite gamers. They’ve been spectators of accidents within the orofacial area of their teammates or opponents. In that sense, this discovering agrees with Exarchou et al. (2019) of their research carried out in Greece and the USA, who state that the gamers’ data in regards to the mouthguard is proportional to the longevity of their sports activities profession [19]. Nevertheless, in keeping with the Udayamalee et al. (2023) research the extent of mouthguard utilization is shallow [13] and within the Soğukpınar Önsüren et al. (2024) research, realized in Turkey, the contributors didn’t have adequate data about the usage of mouthguards, which is why the usage of mouthguards shouldn’t be left to non-public desire and their use needs to be necessary in each medium-risk and high-risk sports activities [14].
On this research, it was evident that almost all athletes affirm that one of the simplest ways to accumulate info and recommendation on mouthguards is thru the web. Some research contributors most popular to seek the advice of with their dentist or group coach. Likewise, the research by Exarchou et al. (2019), confirmed that Greek athletes used the identical info search technique on the web extra continuously and, to a lesser extent, the dentist. Athletes in america choose to obtain recommendation from their dentists [19]. Alternatively, for Soğukpınar Önsüren et al. (2024) it’s obligatory to show on this matter in sports activities science colleges, together with programs within the curriculum, organizing symposiums with posters and movies [14]. Whereas for Liang & Chuang (2024) dentists, coaches and leagues organizers can play an essential position in growing entry and consciousness of the use and usefulness of mouthguards [7].
This analysis confirmed a excessive curiosity in studying extra in regards to the mouthguard. Individuals have been clear about their perform and effectiveness. They really feel that if the data is introduced extra constantly, there can be a rise in the usage of mouthguards, creating the behavior inside the self-discipline, the nationwide group, or the sports activities membership. The soccer and basketball gamers acquired much less info from bodily trainers than rugby gamers. This discovering may be as a result of rules and suggestions of the leagues. It’s understood that rugby has a minimum of the indication to make use of preventive components to keep up participant integrity. Because of this, coaches are extra concerned on this difficulty and emphasize utilizing the mouthguard. Quite the opposite, Sathyaprasad et al. (2018) and Vignesh et al. (2023) in India, confirmed that bodily trainers in some sports activities attribute destructive traits to the mouthguard, assuming that they negatively have an effect on sports activities efficiency [20] or that the coaches didn’t insist on their use and in addition that they don’t have mouthguards out there [18].
On this research, it was evidenced, with the rugby gamers who have been extra skilled with the mouthguard that so long as the mouthguard is tailored and doesn’t intervene, it could possibly present the feeling of confidence and higher playability. Díaz-Valdés (2021) agrees with this. For them, utilizing the mouthguard throughout sports activities practices significantly improves the difference and dealing with of the mouthguard itself [21]. Equally, it’s proposed by Vignesh et al. (2023) in his research carried out in India: The Gender (feminine), kind of sports activities (throw ball-playing sports activities) and the expertise of athletes influences the data and use of protecting units [18].
The soccer, basketball, and rugby gamers all expressed the significance of the dentist as a supply of data with preparation and a powerful scientific foundation on the mouthguard. Nevertheless, some contributors present process orthodontic therapy who perceived an elevated danger of struggling a comfortable tissue harm from the metallic components or brackets by no means acquired any indication from their dentist to make use of the mouthguard as a safety measure.
The American Dental Affiliation promotes utilizing mouthguards to scale back the chance of struggling accidents in numerous sports activities actions; nevertheless, such a info doesn’t attain all gamers or dentists. The contributors recommend that dentists ought to advocate utilizing the mouthguard to their sports activities sufferers throughout their appointments or medical controls. They even recommend that the dentist needs to be a part of the groups and work with the physiotherapist and the sports activities doctor. This discovering agrees with Ono et al. (2020) –research carried out in Japan with 115 gamers of American soccer, Rugby, Lacrosse, Karate, Nippon kempo, Soccer, Basketball and Handball–, who acknowledge that the usage of the mouthguard is important when there’s a dentist on the group who’s answerable for emphasizing and selling the usage of the mouthguard to the athletes, on this case, the personalised mouthguard [22].
The research recognized that basketball and soccer contributors, because of a lack of information or restricted info and of uncertain scientific foundation, don’t use the mouthguard or develop a behavior of inefficient use of the mouthguard, which will increase the chance of struggling an harm orofacial degree, each sports activities are thought of medium danger contact sports activities. Selva et al. (2019) by means of a scientific evaluation, agree with the connection between a poor mouthguard behavior and the elevated danger of harm to the mouth, and affirms that in athletes that is probably the most in all probability because of inadequate data of the advantages of mouthguards and restricted use of mouthguards [23]. The contributors on this analysis suffered accidents akin to gum contusions, enamel microfractures, and cuts to the tongue and cheeks; nevertheless, they reduce or ignore the severity of the harm or attribute it to luck that it was not a significant downside.
When contributors, significantly in soccer, think about that there isn’t any absolute want to forestall collisions that will have an effect on bodily integrity, they ignore the significance of the mouthguard and improve the likelihood of struggling an harm. That is just like the findings of Kasum et al. (2023) in his research carried out in Croatia on soccer gamers though most contributors (93.9%) have been conscious of mouthguards and 68.9% believed that they assist forestall accidents whereas enjoying soccer, solely a small proportion (16%) used them [24].
Most rugby gamers acquired a suggestion from the coach to make use of the protector and acknowledge that there’s a excessive likelihood of struggling a collision or an harm in any a part of the physique, together with the mouth space and adjoining tissues. Rugby gamers emphasize that the {custom} mouthguard needs to be worn in all contact sports activities, together with soccer and basketball, in order that the guard doesn’t hinder playability. This indication is in keeping with Azadani et al. (2023), in USA, and Mat Zainal et al. (2024) in Malaysia, who evidenced a decrease incidence of oral lesions when sporting a mouthguard [25], and in addition that the custom-made mouthguard not solely prevents orofacial trauma, however gamers additionally adapt to its use, report better consolation and better help throughout use [26].
The category I, or boil-and-bite mouthguard, is the perfect recognized by the collaborating inhabitants. The fee (financial worth) was discovered to be a limiting issue for selecting a customized mouthguard since it’s perceived that since a dentist designs it, the funding should be better; nevertheless, not one of the gamers had used or consulted in regards to the worth of a customized mouthguard. This discovering is corresponding to what was reported within the Scoping Evaluate by Tjønndal and Austmo Wågan (2021), who state that the excessive price of buying a {custom} mouthguard is a barrier [27]. Nevertheless, on this research, most collaborating gamers imagine that the {custom} mouthguard can be probably the most appropriate for stopping mouth accidents, as different research recommend [7, 15, 18, 24, 26].
The soccer gamers on this research had not used the mouthguard throughout their sports activities careers and so they suppose that sporting a mouthguard can negatively have an effect on athletic efficiency. Of the basketball gamers, solely two males have been conscious of the mouthguard. The rugby gamers who had worn a minimum of one boil-and-bite (Class I) mouthguard acknowledged that it’s an uncomfortable merchandise as a result of it induces salivation and the feeling of getting it within the mouth can break the participant’s focus and make respiratory tough, growing bodily fatigue. Nevertheless, Rugby gamers who had worn a {custom} mouthguard didn’t report these difficulties, though they prompt it’s a means of adapting to its use. Ahmed & Positive (2021) in UK, and Mat Zainal et al. (2024) in Malaysia, agree with this discovering and report that Class III mouthguards, or custom-made by direct printing or intraoral scans, are simply adaptable, considerably enhancing participant consolation, security, and confidence [26, 28]. On this sense, on this research, some basketball gamers and most rugby gamers think about that sporting a mouthguard can generate extra confidence in gameplay and technique improvement because it decreases the worry of collision between gamers as they really feel safe of their mouths.
For the gamers who participated on this research, verbal communication is essential for successfully creating each offensive and defensive performs of their sports activities. The rugby gamers acknowledged that it’s doable to keep up satisfactory communication with the mouthguard whether it is well-adapted. Those that used the mouthguard agree that maladaptation results in issue dealing with the factor since it could possibly transfer contained in the mouth, inflicting fatigue and imbalance. Comparable knowledge reported in Portugal by Moreira et al. (2019) [29] in basketball gamers, who had the notion that communication may very well be affected in coaching; nevertheless, these authors state that it has been proven {that a} correctly designed mouthguard doesn’t intervene within the improvement of athletes when it comes to consolation in communication.
The soccer gamers on this research reported that they don’t see the necessity to use the mouthguard in creating sports activities observe as a result of low expertise of traumatic occasions. Nevertheless, in Kuwait, Qudeimat et al. (2019) of their research of the prevalence and severity of dental accidents in younger soccer gamers, evidenced that 25% of the research contributors (116 gamers) suffered a mouth harm [30].
One of many contributors of this research answered the interview utilizing the mouthguard (Class I) and emphasised that the mouthguard needs to be chosen in keeping with the circumstances of the athlete and be very nicely molded following the producer’s indications. Knapik et al. (2019) [31] in his meta-analysis, reported that the usage of the mouthguard considerably lowered dentoalveolar accidents and concluded that the usage of the mouthguard needs to be for all sports activities the place the incidence of oral accidents is important, akin to contact sports activities and a few non-contact sports activities with the chance of oral accidents.
For the gamers concerned on this research, it is very important protect their bodily integrity and sports activities efficiency. The mouthguard can forestall the chance of struggling an orofacial harm. On this sense, primarily based on the consensus of the Royal Society of Drugs of London, Scott et al. (2020) [32] revealed that the restoration of facial accidents is cautious and sophisticated relating to the time required for the athlete to return to optimum bodily situation. They report that gamers that suffer extreme trauma are susceptible to reopen wounds and due to this fact lose their place on the group.
It is very important make clear that this research had some limitations because of its qualitative nature. Amongst them, the research didn’t have a consultant pattern and a doable social desirability bias. Lastly, in conclusion, it may be asserted that the mouthguard, in keeping with the gamers collaborating within the research, is expounded to stopping mouth accidents throughout contact sports activities. The notion of the mouthguard within the group of contributors (soccer, basketball, and rugby gamers) is multifactorial, highlighting the concept of danger because of contact throughout observe, the preventive traits of the attachment, sports activities values, sports activities efficiency (particular person and group targets), consolation, adaptability, and particular person disposition.
Additional research on the mouthguard are prompt relating to dentists’ data of mouthguards and the administration of sports activities emergencies. In Colombia, there’s a lack of exploration of sports activities dentistry and its software.