TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2004//
TI  - Secondary school athletes: a study of mouthguards
JO  - Journal of the National Medical Association
A1  - Onyeaso, C. O.
SP  - 240
EP  - 245
VL  - 96
IS  - 2
N2  - The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of mouthguard awareness and use, as well as the amount and type of oro-facial trauma associated with and without mouthguard wear in adolescent Nigerian athletes. A 13-item self-completion questionnaire was completed and returned by 1,127 secondary school athletes (completion rate of 93.9%) comprising 683 (60.6%) males and 444 (39.4%) females ranging in age from 12- to 19 years (mean age 15.18+/-2.97 SD). The athletes were randomly drawn from 23 secondary schools located in different parts of Ibadan city in Nigeria. Sixty-five-and-a-third percent of the athletes professed awareness of the need for mouthguards for sports, but only 19.6% claimed usage of the device. Thirty-four-and-a-half percent of the athletes reported having sustained one form of oro-facial injury or the other previously. The prevalence of oro-facial injuries was significantly lower while wearing a mouthguard (p<0.05), and most of the injuries occurred during contact sports. The study supports the need for the enforcement of mandatory mouthguard use in contact sports.
LA  - 
SN  - 1943-4693
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -