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Injuries sustained by users and non-users of gum shields in local rugby union.

This study was undertaken because of the high number of orofacial injuries and the complacent attitude of local rugby union players to the wearing of gum shields in spite of encouragement and advice to do so. Amongst non-users there seemed to be an attitude that injuries are inevitable. This apathy and cavalier attitude to unnecessary injury needs to be changed. These injuries can be almost totally avoided by the use of protective apparatus'. An attempt was also made to determine if youngsters were well informed about the benefits of gum shields and if they were in fact wearing them. As it has been found in contact sports that the higher the grade of competition, the greater the risk of a player sustaining injury, a comparison has been made with other studies on elite players. The incidence of injury is thought to increase with age and playing level.