To prevent oral and facial injuries in the contact sports the Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends the use of face masks, helmets, and mouth guards (Community Preventive Services Task Force, 2015). The effectiveness of these preventive measures is demonstrated by the findings of a small variety of studies concerned with this subject.
Intervention Description
The sports that involve physical contact between the players or people and objects; these can be combat (boxing, wrestling) or team sports such as ice hockey, baseball, or football. In some of these kinds of sports, the deliberate impact between the players is regulated and punished by means of penalties (Community Preventive Services Task Force, 2015). However, it may occur accidentally and result in serious injuries of jaw, teeth, face, or cranium.
The intervention of oral and facial injuries in contact sports can be based on three primary activities: a) the delivery of education for the target population segment through the informational materials clearly describing the risks of facial and oral injuries, their negative outcomes, and the benefits of protection equipment; b) promotional activities designed to encourage the use of helmets, face masks, and mouth guards through their distribution for free or at a low cost, or the provision of incentives for the athletes who embrace the safe practice; c) policies and regulations enforcing the use of protection as an obligatory measure (Community Preventive Services Task Force, 2015).
The evidence for this intervention was collected from a series of diverse studies reviewed by the Task Force to research the effectiveness of the protection equipment.
Strengths and Limitations
The main limitation of the research conducted by the Task Force is the small sample of the studies providing the evidence as to the efficiency of helmets, mouth guards, and face masks in contact sports. Namely, the research was based on only eight studies that showed inconsistent results. Besides, the search for suitable studies was complicated by the diversity of possible injuries, sports, and equipment. In addition, seven out of eight studies were conducted in the countries with high level of income which means that their injury statistics may be different from those of the low-income states, and that the equipment used for the prevention could be of better quality showing higher levels of effectiveness (Community Preventive Services Task Force, 2015). Finally, one of the most significant limitations is the lack of the clear idea as to which equipment and of what kind is safer. For instance, there are many different models and brands of helmets, and an individual study is required to determine which ones of them are better in terms of protection from face, jaw, and cranium injuries in contact sports.
The aspect of the review that surprised me was the lack of sufficient evidence for the development of an intervention. It seems that the problem of facial and oral injuries in contact sports is taken for granted and so are the protection measures. The strength of the intervention is that raising awareness of this problem it may evoke the interest towards the issue and encourage more researchers to explore it. Besides, the education of athletes, their parents, and coaches may inspire the sports communities to embrace the protection equipment in the kinds of sports that do not already have it. For instance, facial injuries are common in soccer, and the athletes are not required to wear any protective ammunition at all.
Reference
Community Preventive Services Task Force. (2015). Preventing Oral and Facial Injuries: Population-Based Interventions to Encourage Use of Helmets, Facemasks, and Mouthguards in Contact Sports. Web.