Sanitization of sports mouthguards

Resumo

Mouthguards are removable intra-oral devices that,
if used correctly, make the protection of the teeth and soft tissues
such as gums, lips and cheeks from the impact during the sport
activity. Objective: To know about the habits and attitudes towards
the hygiene and use of mouthguards for athletes and evaluate
the ability of a new product in spray form to decontaminate
mouthguards. Material and methods: An interview by means of
a questionnaire was conducted with 22 men, young adults, rugby
players, in order to know their habits and attitudes about the
use and cleaning of mouthguards. After this step, microbiological
testing was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a test product in
the decontamination of mouthguards. Results: The sample consists
of young adults, well-educated, but who had little information
about cleaning of mouthguards. Only one participant executed
the decontamination adequately. By microbiological assessing
the test product was effective in decontaminating the samples
of mouthguards. Conclusion: The risk of saliva contamination
of mouthguards, the hygiene care and storage and the need for
disinfection of these devices should be better disseminated among
professionals and especially among athletes. The test product was
effective in decontaminating salivary mouthguards.