Association between Sports-Related Concussion and Mouthguard Use among College Sports Players: A Case-Control Study Based on Propensity Score Matching.

Yoshiaki Ono,Yuto Tanaka,Junya Fujimoto,Masahiro Tanaka,Kazuki Sako

doi:10.3390/ijerph17124493

Abstract

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a major public health concern. This study aimed to assess the association between mouthguard use and the incidence of SRC in college students through a case-control study using propensity score matching. In total, 195 of 2185 potential participants volunteered to participate in this study. We used Google Forms online to capture participants’ information, including: age; gender; height; weight; sports contact level; level of play; exposure time; frequency of mouthguard use; mouthguard type; and SRC experience. Data for 115 participants who played collision and contact sports were used for the analysis. The difference in the frequency of mouthguard use was assessed between matched pairs and the overall association between SRC and mouthguard use was evaluated. In the matched groups, those who had not experienced SRC wore a mouthguard more frequently than those who had experienced SRC (7/28 vs. 1/28; p = 0.051). Logistic regression analysis showed there was a significant negative association between the frequency of mouthguard use and the incidence of SRC (odds ratio 0.101; p = 0.041). Within the limitations of this study, these results suggest that mouthguard use may offer some benefit in preventing SRC.

Highlights

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a major public health concern [1] for two main reasons
Our analysis revealed that more SRCs occurred when mouthguards were not used during practice sessions than when mouthguards were used
These results suggest that mouthguard use may have some benefit in preventing SRC

Summary

Introduction

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a major public health concern [1] for two main reasons. A US epidemiological study reported there were approximately 2.8 million traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in 2013, including 2.5 million emergency department visits, 280,000 hospitalizations, and nearly 56,000 deaths [2]. Concussion has been reported to result in ionic flux, meaning depolarization could trigger voltage or ligand-gated ion channels, creating a diffuse “spreading depression-like” state [4]. These studies provide evidence that prevention strategies are needed to reduce the number and severity of SRC cases in many sports

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion