Dental and Jaw Injuries among Muay Thai Kickboxing Athletes.

BACKGROUND

It has been reported globally that boxing athletes suffer a high risk of injuries, predominantly dental and jaw injuries. While the popularity of Muay Thai kickboxing is increasing in Thailand, there has been very little research evidence regarding dental and jaw injuries among Thai boxing athletes.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity, as well as factors associated with sport-related dental and jaw injuries in the northeastern Thai boxing athletes.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A survey was conducted on 260 samples of Thai boxing athletes residing in the northeast Thailand, using both questionnaire and oral health examination. Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

The results showed that 23.5% of the boxing athletes had dental and jaw injuries. Findings from the final logistic regression model revealed that weight, location of training camp (the upper part versus the lower part provinces) and location of boxing camp (rural versus urban districts) were significantly associated with dental and jaw injuries, with the adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) being 1.069 (1.040, 1.099), 2.422 (1.283, 4.571) and 4.525 (1.923, 10.638), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The Muay Thai boxing athletes sustain substantial dental and jaw injuries, and are at subjection to impending risk of such injuries. The findings of this research may be useful for prevention and planning to reduce dental and jaw injuries among Thai boxing athletes in the future.