doi: 10.33233/rbfex.v19i5.3923
OPINION
Dentist
in the multiprofessional athlete monitoring team:
essential to mitigate the severity of head concussions?
Dentista na equipe
multiprofissional de monitoramento de atletas: essencial para atenuar a
gravidade das concussões da cabeça?
Bárbara Capitanio de Souza1, Randhall
Bruce Carteri2, André Luiz Lopes1
1Universidade Federal do
Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
2Centro Universitário
Metodista - Instituto Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
During the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, held in
2012, in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, a consensus statement on concussion
in sport was built, based on the principles described in previous documents
[1]. The statement brings an additional understanding concerning the risks,
diagnosis, and prevention of sports concussion in the amateur or professional
athlete. Due to the importance of this topic for the health of sports players,
the document is addressed not only to doctors but to all health professionals
involved in preventive care and rehabilitation for this population [1].
It is well known that concussions could occur in any sport, with a
higher prevalence in contact sports [1]. Due to the potential risk of
neurodegenerative effects by recurrent exposure to concussion or chronic
exposure to head impacts, it is of great importance that this problem is
addressed with a multi-professional approach [2]. In dentistry, personalized
mouth guards (PBP) can be an interesting tool to reduce the neurodegenerative effects
resulting from concussions. This is because PBPs have biomechanical properties
to absorb and dissipate forces resulting from impact [3].
Concussions result from the acceleration-deceleration process that
occurs after the action of biomechanical forces that are transmitted to the
brain tissue. The use of PBP can help to control cervical muscle activity,
which is increased with trauma, contributing to reduce the severity of
concussions after impact. In addition, PBP can distance the condyle of the
mandible from direct contact with the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone,
preventing this region from absorbing the full force of traumatic impact [3].
Although it is impossible to eliminate all chances of concussion
occurrences during sports practice, it is very important to create strategies
aimed to reduce the number and severity of this situation. Pre-participation
assessment and post-trauma follow-up should follow stricter criteria, with the
participation of dentists in the multi-professional team that accompanies the
athletes. This multi-professional interaction offers additional benefits in the
preventive and rehabilitation spheres, as suggested by Sacramento et al.
[4].
Another strategy that could help prevent concussions is expanding
current research, with more robust cross-sectional and longitudinal
observational studies, assessing the etiological and epidemiological profile of
sports trauma. Especially in youth sports, there is still insufficient research
that explores this topic, since most research is directed at professional adult
athletes, where the surveillance of these injuries is best performed [5].
Finally, we believe that educational and clarification measures for
athletes and coaches, about the importance of including the dentist in the
multi-professional team, can help prevent concussions from being more harmful,
as well as helping athletes to have better outcomes, improving recovery
strategies following injury [4]. This could also decrease the athletes'
recovery time and ensure a safer return to sports practice.