Attitudes and opinions towards the prevention of orofacial injuries among water polo coaches in Catalonia: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Background/Aim Although orofacial injuries are frequent in water polo, fewer than 10% of players use mouthguards. The aim of this study was to determine the degree to which coaches and sports club managers encourage mouthguard use in water polo and to explore their opinions regarding other strategies designed to reduce the prevalence of orofacial injuries. Material and Methods This was a cross‐sectional study in which the coaches and sports club managers of 16 water polo clubs in Catalonia were invited to participate. An online questionnaire was administered to the coaches to obtain general data, to determine whether they had recommended mouthguard use to their players and to record their opinions on other strategies designed to reduce the prevalence of orofacial injuries. Sports club managers were interviewed about the facilities offered by their clubs for players to obtain mouthguards and about their attitudes regarding the prevention of orofacial injuries. Results The questionnaire was administered to 72 coaches who trained 111 teams during the 2019‐2020 season, together with 14 sports club managers. Coaches of only 11 teams (10%) recommended mouthguard use to their players. Two clubs (14%) offered some facilities to their players to obtain mouthguards. Interestingly, only 18% of the coaches believed that mouthguard use should be mandatory, in contrast to 50% of the sports club managers (p = 0.017; Fisher's exact test). Most coaches and sports club managers believe that a video monitoring system should be used to identify dangerous play and that orofacial injuries should be reported under a surveillance programme. Conclusions Few water polo coaches recommend mouthguard use to their players and very few clubs offer facilities to obtain custom‐made oral protection. However, most coaches and sports club managers agree that the rules should be modified to protect players from aggressive play.

Awareness of sports‐related dental emergencies and prevention practices among Libyan contact sports coaches: A cross‐sectional study

“…However, a lower percentage would recommend their use, and still, a lower percentage used them when they played sports themselves as athletes. Similar observations were reported in previous studies conducted in different countries and among various contact sports coaches where a mouthguard is essential as a preventive tool 7,19,21,31,32 . Speaking and breathing problems were the main reasons for not wearing a mouthguard, consistent with previous studies conducted among coaches 14,21 .…”

“…Similar observations were reported in previous studies conducted in different countries and among various contact sports coaches where a mouthguard is essential as a preventive tool. 7 , 19 , 21 , 31 , 32 Speaking and breathing problems were the main reasons for not wearing a mouthguard, consistent with previous studies conducted among coaches. 14 , 21 Coaches who used mouthguards as athletes and those who think it is an effective preventive tool reported that they would recommend using mouthguards among their players more than those who did not.…”

Sports mouthguard overview: Materials, fabrication techniques, existing standards, and future research needs

“…1 In addition, a study of rugby players reported SM use during matches but not during practice, 46 while water sports SM compliance has also been reported to be problematic. 47,48 SM compliance could also be affected by physical changes that may render SM less suitable for wear, as SM have been reported to physically deteriorate with time. 49,50 Custom SM changes involving shape and thickness have been reported midpoint during a high school football season, 51 and significant reductions in SM thickness with length increase have been reported after 2 years of field hockey use.…”

“…While aware of SM benefits, only 41% of participants in water polo, karate, taekwondo, and handball habitually used SM 1 . In addition, a study of rugby players reported SM use during matches but not during practice, 46 while water sports SM compliance has also been reported to be problematic 47,48 . SM compliance could also be affected by physical changes that may render SM less suitable for wear, as SM have been reported to physically deteriorate with time 49,50 .…”

Prevention of maxillofacial injuries through analysis of mechanisms, patterns, and long‐term sequalae

“…In fact, a general search in PubMed presents over 800 results when looking for the term “sports mouthguard”. Several of these studies have been published within Dental Traumatology 1–14 . The American National Standards Institute/American Dental Association has specified three main types of mouthguards as well as their desired properties such as hardness and impact absorption 15 .…”