Attitude toward mouthguard utilization among North Indian school children

OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to evaluate the attitude toward mouthguard utilization among 8–11-year-old athletically active schoolchildren in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,000 schoolchildren aged 8–11 years of both the sexes, attending private schools in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Children were questioned about their perceptions regarding the protective role of mouthguards and the reasons behind not using mouthguards. The data were summarized and analyzed using the statistical software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18.0. RESULTS: The prevalence of mouthguard use was found to be only 4.25%. However, 78% of the children believed that mouthguards could protect them from injuries. On the other hand, a majority of the children using mouthguards (74.11%) said they would be willing to play without a mouthguard. Of the 85 children using mouthguards, 76 reported problems. Children using dentist-made mouthguards reported it to be expensive while the children wearing boil and bite mouthguards reported several other problems such as difficulty in speaking and interference with breathing. CONCLUSION: It was deduced that the usage of mouthguards in this age group was inadequate and dentists need to be targeted for recommendation of properly fitting custom-made mouthguards to the parents of susceptible children so that a positive behavior toward mouthguards is reinforced.