Dental and general injuries among ski and snowboard instructors in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria-A...

Data on the injury rate of skiers and snowboarders are currently limited. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the frequency of general and dental injuries among snow sports instructors, to investigate the use of protective gear and mouthguards, and to evaluate snow sports instructors' dental first aid know-how.

A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study comprising 603 ski and snowboard instructors from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland was conducted in the timeframe December 2019 to May 2020. The survey gathered data on general and dental injuries sustained by instructors, protective gear usage, and know-how in dental first aid. The statistical analysis included χ² tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and linear regression analysis. The level of significance was set at α = .05.

Out of the 603 instructors, 326 (54.1%) sustained an injury while skiing or snowboarding. Forty (6.6%) reported a snow sports-related dental injury. The rates of injuries related to skiing and snowboarding showed no significant difference (p = .0952). Compared with snowboarding on slopes, backcountry snowboarding entailed fewer risks of injury for snowboard instructors (p = .012). Knowledge of dental first aid was limited, with 45.8% of instructors uninformed about the possibility of replanting avulsed teeth. 10.1% of instructors were familiar with tooth rescue boxes. None of the instructors surveyed had a tooth rescue box in their first aid equipment. Helmet usage was high (95.6%) among snow sports instructors, whereas mouthguard usage was rare (3.5%).

Protective gear usage among snow sports instructors is high. The risk of dental injury while skiing or snowboarding is lower compared with other sports. Dental first aid know-how ought to be enhanced in snow sports communities to ensure that appropriate first aid is provided in case of a dental injury related to skiing or snowboarding.