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Abstract
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AIM: To investigate awareness and frequency of use of mouthguards in children and adolescents who engage in high-risk sports in various federated sports clubs in different provinces of Catalonia (Spain).
MATERIALS: A total of 207 athletes aged between 6 and 18 years who belonged to one of the various official sports clubs across Catalonia (Spain) took part in the study. The participants completed a survey that included 13 anonymous questions to assess their awareness and use of a mouthguard while engaging in high-risk sports, the person who recommended its use, and among other variables, the dental history of sports-related injuries. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test; Fisher's exact test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the relationships among the variables. A p-value of 0.05 and a 95% reliability were considered statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Use of a mouthguard as a preventive measure in sport was very low. One of the main reasons for this was the large amount of disinformation about this type of protection. It would be beneficial to enforce mandatory use of mouthguards in all high-risk sports.
Language: en |