Mouthguard use, hygiene, and maintenance practices among combat and team sports athletes: A comparative study

Didem Özkal Eminoğlu, Kamber Kaşali, Cebrail Gençoğlu, Süleyman Ulupinar, Serhat Özbay, Buket Şeran, Ayşegül Türksoy and Fatih Kiyici

PLOS ONE, 2025, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of combat and team sports athletes towards the use, storage, and hygiene conditions of mouthguards, with the goal of understanding disparities in usage and maintenance practices and their implications for oral health. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 394 athletes (316 combat athletes and 78 team athletes). Participants completed a 28-question survey assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding mouthguard use, hygiene, and maintenance. The survey included questions on demographic data, mouthguard usage habits, cleaning methods, and storage practices. Combat sports athletes exhibited significantly higher rates of mouthguard use (100%) compared to team sports athletes (29.5%) (chi square [χ2] = 258.971, p

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0317952

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317952

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