Sanitization of sports mouthguards

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Mouthguards are removable intra-oral devices that, if used correctly, make the protection of the teeth and soft tissues such as gums, lips and cheeks from the impact during the sport activity. Objective: To know about the habits and attitudes towards the hygiene and use of mouthguards for athletes and evaluate the ability of a new product in spray form to decontaminate mouthguards. Material and methods: An interview by means of a questionnaire was conducted with 22 men, young adults, rugby players, in order to know their habits and attitudes about the use and cleaning of mouthguards. After this step, microbiological testing was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a test product in the decontamination of mouthguards. Results: The sample consists of young adults, well-educated, but who had little information about cleaning of mouthguards. Only one participant executed the decontamination adequately. By microbiological assessing the test product was effective in decontaminating the samples of mouthguards. Conclusion: The risk of saliva contamination of mouthguards, the hygiene care and storage and the need for disinfection of these devices should be better disseminated among professionals and especially among athletes. The test product was effective in decontaminating salivary mouthguards.