Oro-dental trauma burden and mouthguard usage among contact sports players: A call for sports dentistry initiatives in Sri Lanka.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: Contact sports-related oro-dental trauma contributes to a significant proportion of sports injuries among school children. Oro-dental trauma imposes a detrimental impact on the oral health-related quality of life. However, the burden of oro-dental trauma among contact sports players and their practices of mouthguards remains a research gap in Sri Lanka. The current study bridges that while providing evidence for contextual changes such as initiating sports dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted among 1340 adolescent contact sports players in Colombo district, Sri Lanka; 63.1% males and 36.9% females (age 13-18), who were enrolled in football, rugby, hockey, boxing, basketball, and martial arts in the school setting. A checklist was administered to obtain demographic information, sports practices, and the use of mouthguards. An oral examination was conducted for those who experienced oro-dental trauma during the last 12 months. RESULTS: Self-reported oro-dental trauma pooled prevalence of the contact sports players was 35.9% (95% CI = 33.3-38.5), with males' preponderance. Dental trauma was present in 23.8% (n = 319), while 15.8% were uncomplicated and 8% were complicated. Soft tissue injuries were present in 12.1% (n = 162). Oro dental trauma (ODT) was highly prevalent among boxing, rugby, and hockey players. Only 20.8% (n = 279) of players used mouthguards. However, 91.0% (n = 254) of them were using ready-made mouthguards. Mouthguard use and the type of mouthguard showed statistically significant associations across the type of oro-dental trauma among contact sports players. CONCLUSIONS: Contact sports-related oro-dental trauma prevalence is as high as 35.9% among Colombo district school children in Sri Lanka. However, their level of mouthguard usage is shallow at 20.8%. Further research is necessary to investigate the reasons behind this, and national guidelines should be developed to prevent and manage sports-related accidental injuries.