Association between Sports-Related Concussion and Mouthguard Use among College Sports Players: A Case-Control Study Based on Propensity Score Matching

Abstract

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a major public health concern. This study aimed to assess the association between mouthguard use and the incidence of SRC in college students through a case-control study using propensity score matching. In total, 195 of 2185 potential participants volunteered to participate in this study. We used Google Forms online to capture participants’ information, including: age; gender; height; weight; sports contact level; level of play; exposure time; frequency of mouthguard use; mouthguard type; and SRC experience. Data for 115 participants who played collision and contact sports were used for the analysis. The difference in the frequency of mouthguard use was assessed between matched pairs and the overall association between SRC and mouthguard use was evaluated. In the matched groups, those who had not experienced SRC wore a mouthguard more frequently than those who had experienced SRC (7/28 vs. 1/28; p = 0.051). Logistic regression analysis showed there was a significant negative association between the frequency of mouthguard use and the incidence of SRC (odds ratio 0.101; p = 0.041). Within the limitations of this study, these results suggest that mouthguard use may offer some benefit in preventing SRC.