Effects of jaw clenching wearing customized mouthguards on agility, power and vertical jump in male high-standard basketball players

Abstract

Background/ObjectiveBasketball players commonly use mouthguards for protecting their mouths from collisions with other players. Besides, literature reports that specific types of mouthguards may become an ergogenic device that facilitates a powerful jaw clenching, and a subsequent concurrent activation potentiation through this remote voluntary contraction of the mandible muscles.MethodsA randomized within-subjects design was used to study the effects of this mechanism on muscular performance (vertical jump, agility, bench press power and leg press power) into two different conditions (mouthguard and no mouthguard) in high-standard basketball players (n = 13). A mean differences analysis and a responder analysis were conducted.ResultsSignificant improvements were found (p < 0.05) in all vertical jump protocols using the mouthguard when compared to the no mouthguard conditions. However, no significant differences were found between the two conditions in agility and power (except in one load of bench press). Nevertheless, p-values were closer to statistical significance when analyzing the total time for the agility T-Test than when the first split time was under consideration (p = 0.111 and p = 0.944, respectively).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the use of custom-made, bite-aligning mouthguard had an ergogenic effect on jump outcomes and inconclusive results in agility T-Test in professional basketball players. From the results obtained in the present study, the use of this type of mouthguards seems to be more justified in power actions on the court than in the strength and conditioning sessions at the gym in well-trained players.

Effects of Custom-made Mouthguards on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Capacity

“…The present study focused on individually customized MGs, which are more comfortable and have a better fit compared to selfadapting MGs [18,21,22]. Some studies observed improved peripheral biomechanical control due to the influence of custom made MGs [11,12,[23][24][25][26]. Various independent studies claim that customized MGs have beneficial effects with regard to aerobic energy supply, with significant improvements in mean power, peak power, and time to peak power, when assessed with a 30 s Wingate Anaerobic Test when wearing an individually custom made MG [24,25].…”

“…Various independent studies claim that customized MGs have beneficial effects with regard to aerobic energy supply, with significant improvements in mean power, peak power, and time to peak power, when assessed with a 30 s Wingate Anaerobic Test when wearing an individually custom made MG [24,25]. These studies indicate that custom made MGs are superior to either no MG or self-adapted MGs [11,12,19,20,[23][24][25][26][27].…”

Effect of thickness and occlusal accommodation on the degree of satisfaction with mouthguard use among water polo players: A randomized crossover trial

“…21,25 It has been reported that wearing an occlusal splint or a mouthguard with balanced occlusion can improve athletic performance by increasing muscle strength and achieving a more balanced body posture. 14,26,27 However, other studies have found that wearing an occlusal-balanced appliance does not affect posture, muscle activity, or athletic performance, 28,29 resulting in this feature having unclear benefits. 16 Most mouthguards are fabricated without this occlusal accommodation, partly due to the higher costs of clinical and laboratory preparation, 23 so there is a need to assess the cost-benefit relationship of occlusal-accommodated mouthguards before advocating their widespread use to prevent orofacial injury.…”

Influence of Mouthguards on Physiological Responses in Rugby

“…The use of a mouthguard may have positive effects on neuromuscular chains. A mouthguard may facilitate powerful jaw clenching and a subsequent concurrent activation potentiation through a remote voluntary contraction of the mandible muscles 2 7 12 . Remote voluntary contractions are a muscle action of the prime mover while performing a simultaneous muscle action with another part of the body 12 .…”