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Preventing Oral and Facial Injuries: Population-Based Interventions to Encourage Use of Helmets, Facemasks, and Mouthguards in Contact Sports

Population-based interventions to encourage the use of helmets, facemasks, and mouthguards when engaged in contact sports aim to prevent injuries to the head, face, and mouth. Intervention programs educate health professionals, parents, coaches, players, and officials of organized sports about the risk of injury and potential benefits of protective equipment, offer incentives for regular use of protective equipment at both practice and formal competition, and encourage the enforcement of rules of play involving safety equipment.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of population-based interventions that encourage use of helmets, facemasks, and mouthguards in contact sports for increasing equipment use or reducing sports-related injuries, because of a small number of studies with inconsistent findings and methodological limitations.

Task Force Finding

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Four studies qualified for the review.

  • Individually, no study was of good quality, and no single effect estimate was large enough to meet the least demanding criterion of sufficiency of the evidence of effectiveness.
  • Together, the studies compared different exposures and reported inconsistent effects using different outcomes.

These results were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice and policy related to oral health.

Economic Review

An economic review of this intervention was not conducted because the Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine its effectiveness.

Supporting Materials

Publications

Truman BI, Gooch BF, Sulemana I, et al. Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. Adobe PDF File [PDF - 2.52MB] Am J Prev Med 2002;23(1S):21-54.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations on selected interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. Adobe PDF File [PDF - 69KB] Am J Prev Med 2002;23(1S):16-20.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Promoting oral health: interventions for preventing dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR 2001;50(RR21):1-13. External Web Site Icon

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Oral health. Adobe PDF File [PDF - 359KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:304-28.

More Community Guide publications about Oral Health



Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the Community Preventive Services Task Force and do not necessarily represent those of CDC.

Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Preventing oral and facial injuries: population-based interventions to encourage use of helmets, facemasks, and mouthguards in contact sports. www.thecommunityguide.org/oral/sportsintervention.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: November 2001