Speech Performance of Rugby Players When Using Different Types of Mouthguard

Amy Liew

Status

Completed

Conditions

Speech

Treatments

Device: 'boil and bite' mouthguard

Device: custom-fitted mouthguard

Device: no mouthguard

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04010500

UKMPPI/111/8/JEP-2018-278

Details and patient eligibility

About

Participation in contact sports is linked to an increased risk of dental injuries. To reduce the risk and severity of sports-related dental injuries, mouthguards are often recommended to be worn during training and competition. However, athletes often complain that they cannot talk properly when using mouthguards. It is hypothesized that speech performance differs when using different types of mouthguards. A group of female national rugby players will be asked to pronounce four Malay words with plosive sounds (/p/, /b/, /d/ and /t/) repeatedly in three conditions: (i) when not using any mouthguard, (ii) when using 'boil and bite' mouthguard, and (iii) when using custom-fitted mouthguard. The sounds will be recorded for spectrographic analysis. The difference in mean voice onset time between conditions will be assessed.

Enrollment

30 patients

Sex

Female

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

adult female aged 18 years old and older
currently representing the nation and participating actively in rugby
native speakers of Malay (national language)

Exclusion criteria

did not play rugby within the last six months
edentulism
used a mouthguard, orthodontic appliance or removable prosthodontics appliance within the last six months
known history of allergy to polymers
medical problems (ASA classification 3 and above)