Benefits of Wearing Mouthguards in Contact Sports: American Football.

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]