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Background/Aim: During sports activities, teeth‐related contact can cause injury to both ally and opponent players, which can lead to potential infections and aesthetic problems. However, the extent of such injuries remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the frequency and situation of head injuries caused by teeth (HICBT) occurring under the supervision of schools in Japan. Material and Methods: HICBT records were extracted from the Japan Sport Council data on head injuries occurring reported during the 7‐year period from 2012 to 2018 under the supervision of schools in Japan. Results: Of the total 463,527 head injury cases during the study period, 4495 cases (approximately 1%) were HICBT. Of the HICBT cases, 3650 (81.20%) were related to sports and athletic activity. Such injuries were reported to occur most often during basketball with a rate of 57.07% and 50.43%; soccer/futsal was the next most common sport with a rate of 13.38% and 24.01% in junior high school and high school students. Tag games were responsible for a similar number of HICBT cases at 22.73% and 39.03% in kindergartens and elementary school students. Conclusions: A total of 4495 cases of HICBT were identified, accounting for about 1% of all head injuries under the supervision of schools in Japan during the study period. This result reminds us that our teeth could be the weapon against the players during sports events. HICBTs occurring during basketball and soccer/futsal, in which mouthguards are not mandatory, were conspicuous among junior and senior high school students. Active use of mouthguards in various sports will protect players as well as their teammates and opponents. Sports dentists should encourage the revision of rules, such as mandating the use of mouthguards, in popular sports with a high incidence of HICBT, such as basketball and soccer/futsal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, wearing a mouthguard (MG) has become mandatory in contact sports. A properly fitted MG protects against sports injuries to the stomatognathic system, and stabilized the occlusal position, which might leads to improved sports performance. The present study uses a questionnaire to determine the amount of dental knowledge and motivation to wear a MG among dental college students. The current situation regarding MG use, discomfort, and experience of oral trauma and concussion was evaluated in 175 rugby football players, 63 American football players, 62 skiers, 55 karate, 27 Shorinji kempo and 32 Nippon kempo athletes who participate d in the Annual Athletic Meet for All Japanese Dental Students (414 participants). The results of the questionnaire about MG use indicated that almost all players experienced discomfort. Dental trauma was experienced in 90% and 43% of rugby football payers and karate athletes, respectively. The rates were lowest among American football players, Shorinji kempo athletes and skiers, being 5.8%, 7.4%, 12.9%, respectively. Concussion was experienced by > 36% of rugby football players and 25% of Nippon kempo athletes. Nippon kempo athletes may use a MG to protect against concussion. In conclusion, rules requiring players to wear a MG should be enforced or rules should be changed to make wearing a MG compulsory, awareness of dental students should be improved, injury should be prevented by wearing a MG and not only organizations but individual players should be educated about the necessity of wearing a MG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the extent of mouthguard use and oral injuries in amateur high school boxers in Japan. One hundred and twenty-nine boxers in 14 high school boxing teams answered a series of questionnaires concerning their own mouthguards and oral injuries. The results were as follows: 1. Almost all boxers used mouthguards and 82.3% of them wore the mouthguards during matches and training sessions. 2. Regarding the types of mouthguards used, 6(4.4%)used the stock type, 109(87.1%)used the mouth-formed type, and 9(7.4%)used the custom-made type. 3. Forty-seven boxers (30.5%)had suffered oral injuries, and the rate of oral injury incidence was higher than in any other part of the body while boxing. 4. As for oral injuries, 39 (67.2%) suffered lip laceration, 7(12.1%) tongue laceration, and 5 (8.6%) maxillary anterior teeth injuries. 5. The rates of incidence of oral injuries with boxers using custom-made mouthguards and commercially available (stock and mouth-formed type) mouthguards were 27.3% and 30.1%, respectively. 6. No boxers using custom-made mouthguards had suffered teeth injuries, whereas 13.2% of those using commercially available mouthguards had suffered teeth injuries. Information on the risk for oral injuries and education on the effectiveness of custom-made mouthguards for injury prevention are effective tools that can lead to the development of more positive attitudes and increased usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American football has developed as its rules and protective equipment for players have evolved. The establishment of rules for wearing helmets and facemasks during play and the evolution of such protective equipment has especially contributed to the reduction of maxillofacial and head injuries, and now AF players can indulge in more fearless and aggressive play. Helmets and facemasks not only protect jaws, faces and heads, but also prevent many oral and dental injuries as they provide extra oral mouthguards. Mouthguards, or intra-oral mouthguards, prevent many other oral and dental injuries as well as alleviate brain concussions in players. In Kwansei Gakuin University's American football team the "Fighters." the players have been educated and required to wear mouthguards since 1982, and the efforts in player education and management have been continued. We will present a variety of mouthguards used by players and examine their benefits by reviewing the injury record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since it is traditionally normal for a boxer to wear a mouthguard, there was little availability of data on the protection ability or the acceptability of boxer mouthguards. Therefore, we conducted questionnaire surveys on about 200 amateur boxers regarding their mouthguards. The outcomes were as follows: 1. Over 90% of amateur boxers used over-the-counter mouthguards. 2. Most of the boxers had many complaints about their mouthguards such as interference with breathing and speech, bulky, uncomfortable, nauseating, bad taste, and offensive odor. 3. Incidences of hard and soft tissue injuries in the dental region sustained despite wearing the mouthguard were 4 % and 33%, respectively. These data suggest that the present boxer mouthguards have low abilities for both protection and comfort in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of mouthguards in contact sports effectively prevents oral injury and preserves oral structures. We investigated oral injuries and awareness concerning mouthguards among Japanese high school soccer and rugby players. Athletes were asked a series of questions concerning their history of oral injury while participating in sports, and their pattern of mouthguard use was determined. The data were evaluated statistically using chi-square analysis. The incidence of oral injuries was 32.3% for soccer athletes and 56.5% for rugby athletes with 0.8% and 24.1% of the respective groups having mouthguards. There were significant differences between the soccer and rugby groups (P<0.001). Although 81.8% of soccer athletes thought mouthguards were unnecessary, only 26.2% of rugby athletes shared this opinion and there was a significant difference between the soccer and rugby groups. Many soccer athletes had insufficient knowledge about mouthguards and were not concerned about preventing oral injury, although it was in fact a common problem on their sport. Athletes as well as coaches must be made aware of the high risk of oral injury, when playing soccer, rugby, and other contact sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]