[Sports injuries of temporomandibular joints and oral muscles in basketball players]

Abstract

All sporting activities have an associated risk of orofacial injuries due to falls, collisions with players, devices, and hard surfaces. Many authors have reported about incidence of orofacial injuries during sports activities. Flanders and Bhat concluded that 34% of all injuries in basketball are orofacial injuries, while orofacial injuries account for only 0.07% of all injuries in American football.

Aim, methods and examinees: The aim of this investigation was to identify the incidence, type and severity of temporomandibular joint injuries, stiffness and pain in oral muscles, and pain during opening and closure of the mouth while playing basketball. The sample consisted of 195 basketball players, 135 professionals and 60 non-professionals. They filled out the questionnaire individually with help of the researchers.

Results: The data received by the survey revealed a total of 350 temporomandibular joint injuries and/or pain, oral muscles stiffness and pain during opening and closure of the mouth during basketball career. The incidence of injuries was higher in professional 72.6% (254) than in non-professional players 27.4% (96). Twenty-four professional and 9 non-professional players reported pain or oral muscles stiffness, while 58 professional and 15 non-professional players reported pain during opening and closing the mouth. Only 1 non-professional player and 6 professional players reported injuries of the temporomandibular joint. All basketball players who were injured during their career had more than one injury. During career, professional players reported pain while opening and closing of the mouth more often than non-professional players, on the average 1.3 and 0.9 times, respectively. Pain or oral muscles stiffness during basketball career was reported 0.6 times on the average by non-professional players, as compared to 0.5 times by professional players. Non-professional players reported 5.2% injuries of temporomandibular joints during their career, while professional players only 3.2%. With regard to positions in the team, most injuries of temporomandibular joints, stiffness and pain in oral muscles were reported by forwards, on the average 2.33 incidents. Centers were the second most frequently injured group with an average of 1.96 incidents, followed by point guards with 1.74, power forwards with 1.62 and guards with 1.55 incidents.

Conclusion: Only 2 basketball players (1%) frequently used a mouthguard and 93.3% of them never even tried to wear a mouthguard. Implementation of mandatory mouthguard usage in sports, such as basketball, would decrease such a large number of sports injuries. Mouthguards would absorb the force of impact and consequently stiffness and pain in oral muscles so that injuries of temporomandibular joints would be reduced or even avoided. Such a low percentage of mouthguard use in basketball players reflects poor awareness and education of both athletes and coaches, as well as an insufficient role of dentists in sports medicine and education.