Impact of Sports Participation on Oral Injuries and Mouthguard Compliance in Teenage Adolescent Athletes

Abstract

Background: Sports-related oral and dental injuries represent a significant yet preventable source of morbidity among adolescent athletes. Mouthguards are established as effective protective devices; however, compliance rates remain suboptimal across many sporting disciplines. Comprehensive data examining the interrelationship between sport type, oral injury patterns, and mouthguard utilization behaviors among teenage athletes are limited. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to evalu- ate the prevalence and patterns of sports-related oral injuries among adolescent athletes across different sporting disciplines and to assess mouthguard awareness, usage compliance, and barriers to adoption. Methods: A total of 520 adolescent athletes aged 13–18 years participating in organized competitive sports were recruited from twelve sports clubs. Data were collected through validated questionnaires addressing injury history, mouthguard usage patterns, and perceived barriers, complemented by stan- dardized clinical oral examinations. Participants represented five sport categories: basketball, soccer, martial arts, hockey, and gymnastics. Results: The overall lifetime prevalence of sports-related oral injuries was 38.7% (n = 201). Martial arts athletes exhibited the highest prevalence (54.8%), followed by hockey (47.1%) and basketball (39.4%). Lip lacerations (42.3%) and tooth fractures (28.4%) were the most common injury types. Although 78.5% of participants reported awareness of mouthguards, only 31.2% reported consistent usage. Custom-fabricated mouthguard use was reported by merely 8.7% of users. Significant predictors of mouthguard non-compliance included perceived discomfort (OR = 3.24, 95% CI: 2.18–4.82), speech interference (OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.93–4.27), and absence of a coaching mandate (OR = 4.12, 95% CI: 2.76–6.15). Athletes who consistently wore mouthguards experienced significantly fewer dental injuries compared with non-users (18.5% vs. 47.6%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Sports-related oral injuries are highly prevalent among adolescent athletes, yet mouthguard compliance remains critically inadequate. Coaching mandates, improved comfort through custom fabrication, and targeted educational interventions represent essential strategies for enhancing mouthguard adoption in youth sports.