Article

Mechanisms of dental injuries in basketball, United States, 2003-2022

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Abstract

Background/aim: Oral injuries such as oral soft tissue lacerations and contusions can occur in basketball by mechanisms such as running into other players or falling. Given a high enough impact force, dental injuries such as tooth fractures and avulsions can occur. Previous research has studied the different types of oral injuries as well as the mechanisms that cause them. Yet, the mechanisms resulting in dental injuries have remained unexplored. The aims of this study were to investigate the distribution of different oral injuries within each injury mechanism and evaluate which mechanisms were most likely to lead to a dental injury. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective cohort study using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Subjects who experienced oral injuries from basketball between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2022 were included in this study. The independent variable was the injury mechanism. The dependent variable was the dental injury outcome (yes/no). Multivariate logistic regression was used to measure the association between the injury mechanism and the dental injury outcome. A p < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: This study included 4419 subjects who experienced oral injuries (national estimate, 138,980). Approximately 14.7% of oral injuries were dental injuries. Subjects experiencing collisions with objects such as walls or the basketball hoop (odds ratio (OR), 4.39; p < .001), falls (OR, 3.35; p < .001), or contact with the basketball (OR, 1.77; p = .006) had significantly higher odds of sustaining a dental injury relative to those experiencing contact with another player. Conclusions: Basketball players experiencing contact to the mouth have high odds of sustaining a dental injury. An understanding of injury mechanisms is important for medical teams to manage these injuries and for coaches to educate athletes on safe and proper playing styles. Furthermore, healthcare providers and basketball staff should encourage athletes to wear mouthguards to reduce the risk of traumatic dental injuries.

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... while that of orofacial injuries was 17.1% and dental injuries were 15.9% [6]. And Liang and Chuang showed that in 4,419 basketball players, in the period 2003-2022, 32.6% of injuries due to falls and 20.1% of injuries due to contact with a ball were dental injuries [7]. ...
... On the other hand, for Soğukpınar Önsüren et al. (2024) it is necessary to teach on this topic in sports science faculties, including courses in the curriculum, organizing symposiums with posters and videos [14]. While for Liang & Chuang (2024) dentists, coaches and leagues organizers can play an important role in increasing access and awareness of the use and usefulness of mouthguards [7]. ...
... This finding is comparable to what was reported in the Scoping Review by Tjønndal and Austmo Wågan (2021), who state that the high cost of acquiring a custom mouthguard is a barrier [27]. However, in this study, most participating players believe that the custom mouthguard would be the most suitable for preventing mouth injuries, as other studies suggest [7,15,18,24,26]. ...
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Describe the association of consumer products and activities with dental injuries among children 0-17 years of age treated in United States emergency departments. A retrospective analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 1990-2003. There was an average of 22 000 dental injuries annually among children <18 years of age during the study period, representing an average annual rate of 31.6 dental injuries per 100 000 population. Children with primary dentition (<7 years) sustained over half of the dental injuries recorded, and products/activities associated with home structures/furniture were the leading contributors. Floors, steps, tables, and beds were the consumer products within the home most associated with dental injuries. Outdoor recreational products/activities were associated with the largest number of dental injuries among children with mixed dentition (7-12 years); almost half of these were associated with the bicycle, which was the consumer product associated with the largest number of dental injuries. Among children with permanent teeth (13- to 17-year olds), sports-related products/activities were associated with the highest number of dental injuries. Of all sports, baseball and basketball were associated with the largest number of dental injuries. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate dental injuries among children using a national sample. We identified the leading consumer products/activities associated with dental injuries to children with primary, mixed, and permanent dentition. Knowledge of these consumer products/activities allows for more focused and effective prevention strategies.
Article
The purpose of the study was to examine the compliance of children wearing their mouthguards, and to evaluate socio-environmental factors that impact upon the usage of the device. Eighty children attending the student clinic of the Hadassah School of Dental Medicine received mouthguards free of charge. One year later, 69 participants and their parents answered a survey aimed at gaining information regarding compliance and comfort when wearing the mouthguard correlated with gender, ages of parents and child, number of siblings, position of child in the family, socio-economic status, education of parents and past dental injuries of siblings or parents. Twenty-nine percent of the children never wore the mouthguard, 32% wore it sometimes, 15.9% wore it when necessary at the beginning but stopped after one month and 23.2% wore the mouthguard whenever needed. About 68% of the participants still possessed the mouthguard one year after receiving it, 44.9% reported that they did not wear the mouthguard because they forgot and 42% reported that the reason for not wearing the appliance was because it was not comfortable. Seventy-seven percent of the parents were not aware of the existence of this appliance prior to this study. In addition, 47.9% stated that dentists had not offered such treatment to them in the past, 20.8% indicated that their child had never possessed a mouthguard before due to its significant expense and 39.6% stated that they would not invest in this treatment in the future because their child would not wear the appliance. Boys were more comfortable wearing the mouthguard than girls. The younger the child and the later s/he was in the sibling order of the family, the more likely s/he was to lose the mouthguard.
Article
The objective of the present study was to describe the occurrence of orofacial, particularly dental injuries in basketball, and to survey the athletes' awareness concerning the use of mouthguards during basketball training and competition. A pilot questionnaire was designed and tested with basketball players. Two hundred and thirty-six male athletes were surveyed. Seventy-seven players were professional players. Exactly 80.6% professionals and 37.7% semi-professional athletes had an experience of oral soft tissue laceration and dental injuries in basketball practice. The difference between the two groups is significant. The incidence of dental and oral injuries was related to the length of training time. About 59% of the athletes ranked the risk of orofacial and dental injury in basketball as medium. Although the awareness of mouthguards among the basketball players was very high (80.1%), only one of them had used the custom-made mouthguard. Most of the athletes gained the knowledge about mouthguards from foreign players (33.5%), media (24.8%) and teammates/classmates (24.3%). The influence of dentists was very weak. Athletes should be informed about the high risk of oral injuries when participating in contact sports. Dentists should play a more significant role in the program of promoting mouthguard use to prevent the occurrence of oral injury in sport participation.
Article
Maxillofacial and dental injuries were studied in regis tered players of American football, bandy, basketball, and handball in Finland between 1979 and 1985. In American football, where facial protection is complete and mandatory, maxillofacial and dental accidents ac counted for only 1.4% of all accidents. In bandy, where facial protection was inadequate during the time of study (only the helmet and extraoral mouth protector were mandatory), the respective figure was 10.6%. The most frequent causes of injury were a blow from an other player (in American football, basketball, and hand ball) or a blow from the stick (in bandy). In American football, the mean cost of treatment related to maxillofacial and dental injuries was only 60% of the mean total cost of all injuries. In contrast, the mean cost of treatment for maxillofacial and dental injuries in basketball and bandy was twice and three times as high, respectively, as that for all injuries. The need for adequate facial protection in contact sports is also discussed.
Article
Dental injuries occurring from 1979–1985 in Finland in 6 contact team sports (American football, bandy, basketball, team handball, ice hockey and soccer) were studied. A total of 23,395 accidents occurred among registered players; 1526 (6.5%) of these accidents affected the dental structures. Contact between players caused over half of the accidents and a blow from a stick every third accident. Crown fractures were the most common type of dental injury, occurring most often to the maxillary central incisors. In most accidents (58.6%) only one tooth was affected. The highest rate of incidence was found in ice hockey (8.9%) and the lowest in American football (1.4%). The low incidence in American football was due to adequate facial and dental protection that is mandatory in this sport.
Article
This pilot study of sports-related injuries in Illinois confirms that football players do not encounter orofacial injuries as often as other athletes. The authors attribute this to mandatory use of faceguards and mouth protectors in football and recommend that mouthguards be used by all players of contact sports.
Article
To describe the epidemiology of traumatic dental injuries to children treated in an urban pediatric emergency department (ED). A descriptive study of a consecutive series of patients. The ED of a large, academic children's hospital. Children presenting to the ED with dental trauma from December 1992 to November 1993. Of 1459 children treated for dental emergencies, 541 had dental trauma (37%) and were enrolled in this study. Patients ranged in age from five months to 18 years. Fifty-nine percent of patients were less than seven years of age, and 59% of patients were male. Falls caused 63% of injuries, followed by being struck (17%), and motor vehicle crashes (2%). Injuries to the soft tissues included lacerations (32%), swelling (8%), abrasions (7%), and contusions (6%). Injuries to hard dental structures included tooth fractures (33%), luxations (18%), concussions (12%), avulsions (8%), and jaw fractures (1%). Tooth luxation and concussion were more common among children less than seven years of age, and fractures to the tooth crown with dentin exposure (Ellis class II) were seen most often among children with permanent dentition (chi 2 = 41.4, P < 0.005). The central incisors were the teeth most frequently traumatized. Findings of this large consecutive series provide a useful description of the epidemiology of this common type of pediatric trauma for pediatric emergency care providers.
Article
An 11-item, one-page questionnaire was mailed to 1800 parents chosen at random in the Henrico County, VA public school system. Parents were asked questions such as "who should be responsible for mouthguard wear?" "what sports should require mouthguards?" and "has [their] child ever sustained an oral or facial injury?" The parental responses indicate that mouthguard enforcement is the responsibility of both parents and coaches. Of the total injuries reported, 19% were sustained in basketball, 17% in baseball, and 11% in soccer. Despite these high injury rates, however, there was a lack of perceived need for mouthguard use in these sports. When asked which sports should require a mouthguard rule, the sports that generated the most responses were, in decreasing order, football, boxing, ice hockey, wrestling, field hockey, and karate. Parents were more likely to require mouthguards for their sons than daughters, and more likely to require them for their children who participated in a mandatory mouthguard sport, a contact sport, or who had been previously injured. The authors conclude that because parents view themselves as equally responsible as coaches for maintaining mouthguard use, both groups should be targeted and approached as a possible source for the recommendation of mandatory mouthguard rules in basketball, baseball, and soccer.
Article
The authors assessed high-school athletic coaches' perceptions about oral-facial injuries and mouthguard use in sports that do not mandate mouthguard use. About 72 percent of the coaches said that their athletes sustained oral-facial injuries, 28 percent that some athletes used mouthguards regularly, 48 percent that athletes had sustained injuries and did not use mouthguards regularly, and 31 percent said they would not encourage mouthguard use. Advocacy for mouthguard use should focus on coaches, coaches' associations and rule-making organizations.
Article
From the introduction of a protective mouthpiece in the sport of boxing, the evidence for the importance of this piece of athletic equipment in injury prevention has grown. Yet, despite this knowledge, only five amateur sports and one professional sport have regulations requiring the use of mouthguards. Even in the sports that require their use, compliance is not universal. Attitudes of coaches, officials, parents, and players about wearing mouthguards all influence their usage. Studies of the attitudes of these groups reveal that coaches are perceived as the individuals with the most impact on whether or not players wear mouthguards. There is reluctance among college football officials to enforce mouthguard violations that they believe are inappropriate. Parents see themselves as having responsibility in determining mouthguard use; however, their views about when and for whom mouthguards are necessary reveal a lack of complete understanding of the benefits. Resistance on the part of players stems from the physical characteristics of the mouthguard, interference with breathing and speech, and the effect on the players’ image. Education on the effectiveness of properly fitted mouthguards for injury prevention, information on the risk for injury, availability of more comfortable and appealing mouthguards, and development of an approach for expanding regulations are all tools that can lead to the development of more positive attitudes and increased usage.
Article
Dental injuries can be permanent and disfiguring. They are also universally expensive to treat. Many dentists, sports physicians, and athletic trainers recommend mouthguards for athletes participating in certain competitive sports, including men's college basketball, because of a common perception that mouthguards afford protection from dental injuries, and even some concussions. However, there are few reliable reports of the incidence of dental injuries and concussions in men's college basketball, and good evidence that mouthguards reduce the risk of these injuries in this population of athletes is notably lacking. This study prospectively recorded dental injuries and concussions among 50 men's Division I college basketball teams during one competitive season, then compared injury rates between mouthguard users and nonusers. During the 1999 to 2000 basketball season, athletic trainers from 50 men's Division I college basketball programs used an Internet Web site to submit weekly reports of the number of athlete exposures, mouthguard users, concussions, oral soft tissue injuries, dental injuries, and dentist referrals. Response rate was 86%. There were 70,936 athlete exposures. Athletes using custom-fitted mouthguards accounted for 8663 exposures. Injury rates were expressed as number of injuries per 1000 athlete exposures. There were no significant differences between mouthguard users and nonusers in rates of concussions (0.35 vs 0.55) or oral soft tissue injuries (0.69 vs 1.06). Mouthguard users had significantly lower rates of dental injuries (0.12 vs 0.67; P < 0.05) and dentist referrals (0.00 vs 0.72; P < 0.05) than nonusers. Custom-fitted mouthguards do not significantly affect rates of concussions or oral soft tissue injuries, but can significantly reduce the morbidity and expense resulting from dental injuries in men's Division I college basketball.
Article
Basketball is a popular sport in Australia. Although orofacial injuries are common, mouthguard (MG) wear in basketball appears to be low. The purposes of this study were: to measure mouthguard wear by basketball players before and after a promotional intervention; to assess players' knowledge of the value of mouthguards for prevention of injury; and to describe their experience of orofacial injury. Two questionnaires (baseline and follow-up) were administered to a convenience sample of 496 basketball players in Victoria, Australia. Players recruited were youths (12-15-year olds, n = 208) and adults (18 years and over, n = 288), from all basketball levels (social to elite). Completion of the baseline questionnaire was followed immediately by an intervention comprising written and verbal information, a mouthguard blank and instructions on mouthguard construction. The follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all respondents 10-12 weeks later; 135 youths (65%) and 157 adults (54%) completed this. Mouthguard wear at baseline was low but was more frequent at games (62%) than at training (25%). Despite 90% of players acknowledging the protective value of a mouthguard, wear by youths did not increase following the intervention, and wear by adults increased by only 14% for training and 10% at games. Previous orofacial injury was recorded at baseline by 23% of players, but few had requested compensation from Basketball Australia (youths, 17%; adults, 30%). Two predictor variables were statistically identified as related to mouthguard wear: previous orofacial injury and age group. Mouthguard wear was significantly more frequent amongst players with previous injury; such players were 2.76 times more likely to be wearers than those without previous injury. Youths were 2.31 times more likely to wear mouthguards than adults. Only 34 players (12% of respondents at follow-up) had a mouthguard constructed from the blank provided. Although youth and adult groups differed, the overall extent of mouthguard use was disappointingly low. Despite wide recognition of mouthguard value, the intervention had little effect on promoting their use.
Article
Basketball carries a medium risk of dental injuries. Swiss data are not available in this respect. Using a standardized questionnaire 302 basketball players from 29 Swiss teams and their 29 coaches were interviewed. The questions focused on the frequency of dental accidents, their prevention and subsequent procedure. The participating 302 players came from three divisions: semi-professional players of National League A and B (102), amateurs of Regional League 2 and 3 (100) and young people of up to the age of 18 (100). The data were evaluated in relation to division, sex and team function. Of the 331 interviewed persons 102 had already seen a dental trauma in basketball and 55 had already had a dental trauma. Only four of the interviewed persons wore mouthguards. The awareness of the procedure following a dental trauma was unsatisfactory. The results of the survey show that significantly more information and education is required in Swiss basketball not only through sports associations but also through coaches and dentists.
Article
Objective: To identify and quantify, to the best extent possible from the existing literature, injury characteristics and factors (risk; protective) associated with injury in young basketball players. Data sources: Database searches principally involving Medline and SportDiscus. In addition, web-based searching and filtering of the reference lists of papers found in the preliminary searches were utilized. Main results: Few well-controlled studies of this population have been conducted. However, from the information available: basketball is the most frequent cause of sports-related emergency department visits for youth and adolescents; the risk of being injured in a game is greater than for practice; girls are more likely to be injured than boys, especially with knee and ankle injuries and the knee injuries are more likely to be severe; acute injuries are more common than chronic; strains/sprains are the most common types of injuries but overall time loss is minimal, indicating that the majority of pediatric basketball injuries are minor (less than 7 days away from activity). Intervention studies show that: mouthguards reduce orofacial/dental injuries; mouthguard use can be increased in young players; neuromuscular training can reduce the incidence of knee injuries in female participants; postural sway is related to risk of ankle injury. Conclusions: The current state of epidemiological research involving youth and adolescent basketball injuries is poor. With an increasing number of young participants, in situations ranging from informal play and physical education classes to organized community and school teams, the need for comprehensive and authoritative information on risk and protective factors is significant.
Injury patterns and perceived risk factors among basketball players in Nigeria
  • Akoduak Akinbosra Ajiboyear