Author and graduation date: Penny L. GOLDBERG, April, 2004

Committee members: Denise Wiksten (Chair), Simon Marshall, Gene Lamke

Thesis title: The Relationship of Mouthguard Use to Concussion and Dental Injury in Division I Women's Soccer

The link between soccer and concussions and dental injuries has been established. Despite evidence of their effectiveness the use of mouthguards to prevent these injuries is not widespread. A cross-sectional study of 236 Division I women's soccer athletic trainers was performed to determine the epidemiology of concussion and dental injury in high-level collegiate soccer. Electronic mail messages linking the athletic trainer to the online survey were sent in May 2003 requesting injury data from the 2002 soccer season. 23% of the athletic trainers opted to participate in the survey revealing injury rates of 0.51 and 0.14 per 1000 athlete exposures for concussion and dental injury respectively. Chi-squared analysis revealed no significant differences between athletes who suffered concussion and those who did not (c²(24) = 35.604, p = 0.060) and between athletes sustaining dental injury and those who did not (c²(18) = 12.435, p = 0.042). Significant differences were found between athletes with concussion and those who regularly used mouthguards (c² (8) = 19.087, p = 0.014), athletes with dental injuries and athletes with dental injures necessitating dental referral (c²(9) = 107.712, p = 0.000), and non-injured mouthguard users and non-mouthguard users (c²(24) = 39.869, p = 0.022). Chi-squared analysis could not be performed between the dental injury group and the mouthguard user group because no mouthguard user sustained a dental injury. 85% of the athletic trainers expressed support for mouthguard sanctions related to women's soccer at this level. Low response rate and difficulty defining concussion may have contributed to underestimation of the injury in this study. The rate of concussion reported is not alarming but due to the catastrophic potential of the injury, the 1.3 concussions per team is cause for concern. Less than 25% of the teams reported a dental injury however the 0% rate of dental injury in mouthguard users is striking, clearly illustrating the effectiveness of the protective device. Efforts should be made to increase the knowledge surrounding mouthguard use in the soccer community including both the potential for injury prevention and the technological advancements in the device design that have addressed the long-held concerns of soccer players. Future research into the distribution of concussion throughout the country could further assist in determining whether large-scale rule changes are needed.

Click here to return to the Completed Master Degree Theses in Biomechanics Table of Contents