Mouth Guards and Concussions: The Continuing Controversy

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 20:49. | comments

If you have been following the subject of concussions in sports for any length of time, as I have for more than a decade, the question always seems to come up: do mouth guards prevent concussions?

The answer, at least to this point, seems to continue to be no, or, perhaps more precisely, we don't know. Jigsaw of head with missing piece

If you have been following the subject of concussions in sports for any length of time, as I have for more than a decade, the question always seems to come up: do mouth guards prevent concussions? The answer, at least to this point, seems to continue to be no, or, perhaps more precisely, we don't know.

Whether Mouth Guards Reduce Concussion Risk Unclear

Whether mouth guards prevent concussive brain injury remains unclear, says MomsTeam concussion expert, William P. Meehan, III, M.D.

Mouth Guards Prevent Dental Injuries But Require Frequent Replacement

Mouthguards help prevent injury to the mouth, teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue, but they may also increase the number and intensity of mouth cuts and abrasions, thus exposing an athlete to an increased chance of infection due to the bacteria, yeast, and fungi that they routinely collect. Experts recommend that mouthguards be sanitized daily and replaced after 14 days or when they develop sharp or jagged edges, whichever occurs first.

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