SPORTS-RELATED ORO-FACIAL INJURIES: WHICH KIND OF MOUTHGUARD WILL BE THE MOST SUITABLE TO PLAY SAFE?

Abstract

The risk of sports-related injuries is constantly present in various sporting activities, like box, rugby, tae-kwon-do, etc. Athletes should be informed of the best characteristics of a custom-made mouthguard in order to prevent oro-facial trauma. Materials used in the manufacture of mouthguards should satisfy a number of physical, mechanical and biological requirements. It is essential to differentiate the intra-oral devices available for the athletes to play safe. There are three main goals that should be taken into account, and that are provided by the authors’ modified occlusion outhguard (MOM): (i) the occlusal stability, by the contacts of the mouthguard with the antagonist teeth, (ii) the equilibrium of the masticatory muscles and (iii) the temporomandibular joint protection from excessive unbalanced forces.