Utilization of mouthguards among school children in Saudi Arabia.

Aim: To evaluate attitude towards mouthguard utilization among school children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of both genders, aged between 8 to 16 years, attending school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A structural questionnaire was prepared consisting of questions related to the demographic details, attitude, and conception of children towards using a mouthguard. The questionnaire was sent to the school teachers to distribute among the respective school children. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 1116 children completed the survey form, of which 488 were female and 628 male. The prevalence of use of mouthguard among Saudi school children was found to be 3.32%. Out of the total study subjects, 72.68% of the subjects believed that mouthguards could protect them from injuries. The most common reasons for not wearing mouthguards were: they never thought about it (38.47), they felt it was not necessary (30.58%), it was expensive (11.02%), and they never had any injury (19.93%). Out of 37, 2 subjects never experienced any problem with mouthguards. The most common problems with the mouthguards were: difficulty in speech, being uncomfortable and expensive, followed by interference with breathing.

Conclusion: The prevalence of mouthguard use was 3.32% in Saudi school children aged between 8-16 years. The most common reason for not using it was found to be lack of knowledge. Counseling the young children interested in sports activities is the need of the hour.