The pattern of use of mouthguards in rugby league (a study of the 1986 Australian Rugby League touring team).

Generally speaking, in contact sports the higher the grade of competition the greater the risk of a player sustaining any type of injury. Therefore it is important to conduct studies periodically of international sporting teams from different countries to detect any changes in regional injury patterns, besides assessing attitudes to the use of available protective equipment. A study of the prevalence of orofacial injuries and use of mouthguards by members of the 1984 Great Britain Rugby League Touring Team has previously been reported (Chapman, 1985a). In order to obtain a suitable basis for comparison of those results, a similar study of the members of the 1986 Australian Rugby League Touring Team to Great Britain was conducted. The most important finding was the much higher usage rate of mouthguards by the Australian footballers when compared with the British figure. Results of the study also support the function of mouthguards in reducing the incidence of orofacial injuries in contact sports.