Speech
Conditions
Keywords
dental trauma, rugby, mouthguard, speech, contact sports
Brief summary
Participation in contact sports is linked to an increased risk of dental injuries. To reduce the risk and severity of sports-related dental injuries, mouthguards are often recommended to be worn during training and competition. However, athletes often complain that they cannot talk properly when using mouthguards. It is hypothesized that speech performance differs when using different types of mouthguards. A group of female national rugby players will be asked to pronounce four Malay words with plosive sounds (/p/, /b/, /d/ and /t/) repeatedly in three conditions: (i) when not using any mouthguard, (ii) when using 'boil and bite' mouthguard, and (iii) when using custom-fitted mouthguard. The sounds will be recorded for spectrographic analysis. The difference in mean voice onset time between conditions will be assessed.
Interventions
DEVICEno mouthguard
Control (not using mouthguard)
DEVICE'boil and bite' mouthguard
KHZ058 Bicolor Mouth Guard (Shenzhen Kanghao Industrial Co. Ltd, China) will be immersed in a bowl of hot water (about 80 °C). After 50 seconds, the softened sheet will be fitted on the maxillary arch of the participant. The participant will then bite down to ensure the mouthguard stay firmly on the maxilla. After that, the mouthguard will be removed and immersed in cold water to retain its shape.
DEVICEcustom-fitted mouthguard
The custom-fitted mouthguards will be constructed using the dual laminated technique with two layers of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) thermoplastic sheets (Dentsply International Raintree Essix, Court East Sarasota, USA).
Sponsors
Amy Liew
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
The participants will articulate phonemes with plosive sounds (/p/, /b/, /d/ and /t/) for the following conditions in a pre-determined sequence: (i) not using mouthguard; (ii) using a 'boil and bite' mouthguard; and (iii) using a custom-fitted mouthguard. A washout interval of one hour will be implemented between conditions.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* adult female aged 18 years old and older * currently representing the nation and participating actively in rugby * native speakers of Malay (national language)
Exclusion criteria
* did not play rugby within the last six months * edentulism * used a mouthguard, orthodontic appliance or removable prosthodontics appliance within the last six months * known history of allergy to polymers * medical problems (ASA classification 3 and above)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean voice onset time | Immediate | The delay between the start of the speech sound and the beginning of vocal cord vibration (in millisecond) |
Countries
Malaysia
Outcome results
None listed