Chalmers D J
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Sports Med. 1998 May;25(5):339-49. doi: 10.2165/00007256-199825050-00006.
The mouthguard is a resilient device or appliance which is placed inside the mouth to protect against injuries to the teeth, lacerations to the mouth and fractures and dislocations of the jaw. There is clear support in the scientific literature for the use of mouthguards in contact sports such as rugby. Moreover, there is evidence that mouthguards are effective in protecting against concussion and injuries to the cervical spine. There is a high level of acceptance of mouthguards by players and an increasing number are regularly wearing mouthguards. This is especially true among the elite players, but acceptance and wearing rates are moderately high among club players as well. There is strong support among players and researchers for mouthguard wearing to be made compulsory. It is generally recommended that: (i) mouthguards be worn during both practice sessions and games; (ii) the habit of wearing a mouthguard begins at an early age; (iii) mouthguards be regularly replaced while children are still growing; and (iv) adult players replace their mouthguards at least every 2 years. The selection of a mouthguard will depend on a number of factors including the age of the individual, effectiveness and cost. The type I (stock), or 'off-the-shelf', mouthguards are considered inferior when compared with the other available types, and their use is discouraged. Type II (mouth-formed) mouthguards come in 2 forms, the shell-liner version and the popular thermoplastic 'boil and bite' version. While the effectiveness of the shell-liner mouthguard was examined in one experimental study, no such research has been reported for the thermoplastic mouthguard. Type III (custom-fabricated) mouthguards are recommended for players playing in the more vulnerable positions and in the higher grades. Most experimental studies in which the effectiveness of mouthguards has been demonstrated have involved type III mouthguards.
护齿器是一种有弹性的装置或器具，放置在口腔内以防止牙齿受伤、口腔撕裂以及颌骨骨折和脱臼。科学文献明确支持在橄榄球等接触性运动中使用护齿器。此外，有证据表明护齿器在预防脑震荡和颈椎损伤方面是有效的。球员对护齿器的接受程度很高，越来越多的人经常佩戴护齿器。在精英球员中尤其如此，但在俱乐部球员中接受率和佩戴率也相当高。球员和研究人员强烈支持强制佩戴护齿器。一般建议：（i）在训练和比赛期间都佩戴护齿器；（ii）从小养成佩戴护齿器的习惯；（iii）在儿童仍在成长期间定期更换护齿器；（iv）成年球员至少每两年更换一次护齿器。护齿器的选择将取决于多个因素，包括个人年龄、有效性和成本。与其他可用类型相比，I型（成品）或“现成的”护齿器被认为较差，不建议使用。II型（口腔成型）护齿器有两种形式，即壳衬型和流行的热塑性“煮沸咬合”型。虽然在一项实验研究中检查了壳衬型护齿器的有效性，但尚未有关于热塑性护齿器的此类研究报告。III型（定制）护齿器推荐给在更易受伤位置和更高等级比赛的球员。大多数证明护齿器有效性的实验研究都涉及III型护齿器。
