The prevalence of orofacial injuries in judo: A cross‐sectional study

Background/Aims Judo is a popular martial art with a high risk of injury. Notwithstanding this risk, mouthguards were not allowed until June 2018. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of traumatic injuries in judo with a particular focus on dental and lip injuries. A further aim was to assess the influences of increased overjet and wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. Material and Methods Judokas (n = 382) from two judo clubs in Bern, Switzerland, were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Results About two thirds had suffered at least one traumatic injury with a high number of limb injuries (n = 1054), followed by face injuries (n = 855) and spine, torso, occiput or neck injuries (n = 84). Among the face injuries, 562 lip injuries were recorded. A significantly higher number of lip injuries were found for judokas who wore fixed orthodontic appliances compared to judokas who never wore such appliances. Forty‐seven dental trauma incidents during judo were recorded. During both judo and leisure time, 161 dental trauma incidents were recorded. Individuals with lip incompetence and increased overjet showed the highest number of dental injuries (x¯ = 0.815; SD = 0.622), which differed in statistically significant ways from the number of dental injuries in individuals with lip incompetence and normal or reduced overjet (x¯ = 0.278; SD = 0.461). For individuals with no lip incompetence, no difference between the sub‐group with an increased overjet and the sub‐group with a normal or reduced overjet could be found. Nobody in the study population was wearing a mouthguard, and the acceptance of mouthguards was low (9.7%). Conclusion It is important to increase the awareness of the recent authorization of mouthguards and to promote their acceptance among judokas. The combination of increased overjet and lip incompetence was more relevant for the dental trauma risk than an increased overjet alone.