Is there enough evidence that mouthguards do not affect athletic performance? A systematic literature review.

Background: Although there is evidence that mouthguards prevent orofacial trauma occurrence during sport practice, the influence of this device on athletic performance has not been systematically quantified.

Objectives: We aim to systematically review the literature to determine the effect of mouthguards on athletic performance and if the type of mouthguard influences this overcome.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in the Systematic Electronic Databases: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from their inception to February 2017.