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Occurrence of Orofacial and Dental Injuries in Rugby: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Marc Chaboussie1, Alexandre Baudet1,2
1Université de Lorraine, faculté d'odontologie, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
Objectives:
The main aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to report the prevalences of orofacial and dental injuries among rugby players and to discuss the prevention of these injuries through mouthguard use.
Methods:
A literature search of the PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Dentistry & Oral Science Sources (DOSS) databases was performed to identify eligible studies from 1998 to 31st March 2025. This review was conducted on studies reporting the prevalence or incidence of orofacial or dental injuries among rugby players.
Results:
In total, 268 records were screened for eligibility, and 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of orofacial injuries was 40.4% (95% CI: 38.5-42.2) with the higher prevalence (70.2%) in a study of 2010 among male rugby players of 17-18 years. The most common orofacial injuries involve the soft tissues. The overall prevalence of dental injuries was 19.6% (95% CI: 18.1-21.3). A fractured tooth was the most common dental injury. Mouthguards were mainly worn during competition, less during training. The certainty in cumulative evidence was considered to be very low.
Conclusion:
This review highlights a high rate of orofacial and dental injuries in rugby. It is necessary to increase awareness and the use of protective mouthguards to enhance prevention.
