OROFACIAL INJURIES REPORTED BY PROFESSIONAL AND NON-PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN ZAGREB AND ZAGREB COUNTY

Background: Injuries are common during sport activities, a part of which is also injuries to the stomatognathic system. According to the data from literature orofacial injuries are frequent, but relatively minor. World Dental Federation has listed basketball as a medium-risk sport in sustaining orofacial injuries. The purpose of this investigation was to determine incidence, type and severity of orofacial injuries during basketball and frequents of mouthguard use. Subject and methods: The sample consisted of 195 athletes who actively participate in basketball, 60 amateurs/non-professional and 135 professionals. Results: A total of 2 265 injuries to the stomatognathic system were documented in this research; 200 (8.8%) of those injuries refer to the non-professionals and 2 065 (91.2%) to the professionals. The most common injuries are lacerations and contusions of soft tissue (a total of 2 208 or 97.5%), followed by dental injuries (a total of 57 or 2.5%). Out of all recorded laceration injuries 59.8% lacerations of soft tissue occurred during practice (12.6% amateurs and 87.4% professionals), while 40.2% of them occurred during games (2.5% amateurs and 97.5% professionals). Of a total of 57 dental injuries recorded during an athletes career, in 78.9% it were the professionals who suffered an injury, and in 21.1% of them the amateurs. Out of a total of 195 basketball players only 1% (2 players - one professional and one amateur) frequently used mouthguard during practice and games, while 93.3% of them never tried to wear a mouthguard. Such low percentage of mouthguard use in basketball players reflects poor awareness and education of athletes and coaches, as well as insufficient role of dentists in education. Conclusions: Orofacial injuries during basketball are not severe (80% lacerations), and therefore do not stimulate the use of a protecting devices even their use will totally diminish this type of injuries