Five-year oral appliance treatment does not affect TMD prevalence but is associated with permanent occlusal changes in most sleep apnea patients during the first 2 years. Patients seek several unscheduled visits, mainly because of technical complications.

The incidence of orofacial injuries in water polo players is high. Although some players had tried a mouthguard, mainly the mouth-formed type, most of them do not wear them routinely for training and competition.

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Background/Aim: Orofacial injuries are a serious problem in field hockey. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of orofacial injuries in field hockey players in Catalonia, the frequency of mouthguard use, the types of mouthguards used and the degree of interference with oral function. Material and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 325 field hockey players (28% women) from all age categories completed a questionnaire about orofacial injuries occurring during their sporting lives, including dental injuries, oral lacerations and episodes of acute temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain. The questionnaire also asked about the experience of using a mouthguard, the type of mouthguard used and any adverse effects of use. The degree of interference with oral function was compared by type of mouthguard (mouth-formed, custom-made and pre-fabricated mouthguards) using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results:Half of the players (50.2%) reported at least one orofacial injury during their sporting lives. The mean number of oral lacerations, TMD pain episodes and dental injuries were 1.59, 0.24 and 0.18, respectively. In total, 310 players (95.7%) had tried a mouthguard, and of these 269 (86.8%) and 283 (91.3%) still used a mouthguard habitually during training and competition, respectively. Only 11 players (3.5%) had tried all three types of mouthguards, and 71 players (22.9%) had tried two types of mouthguard. By type, 217 players (70.0%) had tried mouth-formed (boil-and-bite) mouthguards, 156 (50.3%) had tried custom-made mouthguards and 30 (9.7%) had tried pre-fabricated mouthguards. Custom-made mouthguards were rated as more comfortable than the mouth-formed type (P < .05). Conclusions:The prevalence of orofacial injuries among field hockey players is relatively high. Most players habitually use a mouthguard during training and competition, typically preferring custom-made or a mouth-formed types. Custom-made mouthguards were considered the most comfortable. K E Y W O R D Scontact sports, dental trauma, mouthguards