Impact of Mouthguards and Desensitizing Toothpaste on Swimmers' Oral Health and Quality of Life: A Randomized Trial

Information from the abstract

Introduction and aims Frequent exposure to chlorinated water predisposes competitive swimmers to dental erosion and dentin hypersensitivity, impairing oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a mouthguard alone vs a mouthguard combined with arginine-containing toothpaste in reducing hypersensitivity and improving satisfaction and OHRQoL among swimmers. Methods Participants (aged 13-25 years) swimming ≥5 hours weekly with erosion-related hypersensitivity were randomized into mouthguard only (MG) or combined therapy (MG + DT: mouthguard with 8% arginine-containing desensitizing toothpaste) groups. Hypersensitivity and satisfaction were assessed at baseline, 2, 4 and 8 weeks using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OHRQoL) was evaluated at baseline and 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-group comparisons and independent t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests for between-group comparison, with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons (intention-to-treat analysis). Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups (n = 23 per group). Both groups showed significant hypersensitivity reduction at all follow-up timepoints ( P ≤ .001). While the MG+DT group showed greater absolute sensitivity reduction, between-group differences were not statistically significant. Both groups reported high satisfaction throughout the study. However, at 2 weeks, the MG + DT group reported significantly higher satisfaction regarding appliance tightness ( P = .01), comfort ( P = .008) and hypersensitivity reduction ( P = .01). Overall OHRQoL significantly improved in both groups ( P < .001), with greater improvement observed in the MG+DT group ( P = .04). Conclusions Both interventions effectively reduced dentin hypersensitivity; however, the combined therapy offers superior participant satisfaction during early treatment and greater improvements in OHRQoL. Clinical Relevance Competitive swimmers are at heightened risk for erosion-related dentin hypersensitivity. While a mouthguard alone provides meaningful symptom relief, combining it with arginine-containing toothpaste yields superior OHRQoL and satisfaction, offering clinicians a practical, evidence-informed strategy for managing this population.

Why this record is monitored

This record has an Impact Signal of 85/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Dental Trauma and Treatments · Pediatric health and respiratory diseases · Dental Health and Care Utilization