Abstract
During sports, injuries may he caused by contact between players or the equipment. The use of a mouthguard is advocated for the prevention of oral injuries such as those of the teeth and jaw bones due to such accidents, but it has also been suggested to increase the risk in sports that require vocal communication among players such as baseball as it makes vocalization difficult. We provided mouthguards for members of the Japanese National Team that participated in the 21st AAA International Baseball Championship Games and evaluated their application, their functions, and their defects by a questionnaire with the cooperation by the Japan High School Baseball Federation. After obtaining impressions, mouthguards were prepared using Justouch (Hybler, Kuraray Medical) for 18 high school baseball players. The players practiced and played games wearing the mouthguards and answered a questionnaire concerning the feeling of their application, vocalization. Functions, and inconveniences. Of the players, 78 % had no previous experience of using a mouthguard. 21% felt difficulty in speaking, 8% complained of increased salivation, and 4% felt strangeness. To the question whether they considered a mouthguard necessary for the prevention of oral injuries during baseball practice or games, 78% answered that they considered it necessary; to the question whether they would consider the use of a mouthguard in the future, 67% of the players answered yes. The results of this questionnaire indicate that many baseball players have considerable interest in the mouthguard and are aware of the necessity of its use for the prevention of injuries.
