Katsushi Katano, Arata Tsutsui, Takahiro Sakaue, Hiroyuki Banzono, Karen Kurosawa, Shinji Togo, Makoto Ohara, Erik-Masao Boller, Yoshiaki Kawano, Tomotaka Takeda, Kazunori Nakajima, Kohei Nakajima
This survey demonstrated that dental trauma and head and neck injuries are highly prevalent among wrestlers, particularly in adult athletes and those with longer competitive experience. Such injuries may negatively affect quality of life and athletic performance. These findings underscore the importance of early mouthguard use and injury prevention education to reduce the risk of trauma in wrestlers.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Wrestling is a high-intensity contact sport in which head, neck, and oral injuries occur frequently. However, comprehensive investigations specifically focusing on dental trauma among wrestlers remain limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental trauma and history of head and neck injuries among wrestlers who participated in the 2022 National Sports Festival in Japan.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: All 659 athletes who entered the wrestling competition at the 77th National Sports Festival (Tochigi, 2022) were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire regarding their history of dental trauma, as well as head and neck injuries. A total of 500 valid responses were obtained (response rate: 76%). Data were analyzed using the Steel-Dwass and Mann-Whitney U tests, with the significance level set at p < 0.05.
RESULTS: Of the respondents, 89% reported a history of injuries. The most common oral injuries included lip lacerations (86%), tongue lacerations (67%), tooth fractures (30%), and tooth dislocations (11%). Head and neck injuries involved neck injuries (31%) and concussions (25%). No significant differences were observed between wrestling styles in terms of injury prevalence. Adult wrestlers showed a significantly higher prevalence of dental injuries, neck injuries, and concussions than under 18 wrestlers. In addition, a history of injuries was significantly associated with wrestling experience, with longer competitive careers corresponding to a higher prevalence of injuries.
CONCLUSIONS: This survey demonstrated that dental trauma and head and neck injuries are highly prevalent among wrestlers, particularly in adult athletes and those with longer competitive experience. Such injuries may negatively affect quality of life and athletic performance. These findings underscore the importance of early mouthguard use and injury prevention education to reduce the risk of trauma in wrestlers.