One of the biggest issues in the world of contact sports is the effect high-impact play can have on the body and the brain, with organisers and players alike looking for any means to protect themselves and preserve their careers without reducing their performance.

The most popular and yet most debated method of reducing concussions on the pitch, in the ring or in the octagon is the use of mouthguards.

A custom-fit dental retainer is a vital piece of equipment in contact sports for many reasons, including avoiding broken teeth, cuts, lacerations and significant injuries to the face and the jawbone, but a big appeal to players is avoiding concussions and subsequent post-concussion syndrome.

Certain mouthguards are even sold on their ability to prevent concussions, but to what extent is that actually the case?

The rationale is that when worn correctly, a mouthguard pulls the jawbone forward, spreading the forces of an impact away from the skull and therefore reducing the risk of concussions.

The data is both limited and inconsistent in this regard; whilst one case-control study found a negative correlation between concussions and the wearing of mouthguards, but others have found no link between mouthguards and concussion incidence.

A consensus statement in 2012 suggested that there wasn’t a link, and other reports have been somewhat conflicted on the subject.

Part of the issue is that until 2005, the concept of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had not been seriously and consistently explored, and the complexities of studying the effects of repeated concussions in an athlete who is still alive are still being navigated nearly two decades after Dr Bennet Omalu’s study.

Because of this, the mechanics of how concussions affect the brain and the long-term damage they can cause are still being examined in the same way the effects of mouthguards are.

Mouthguards are still a vital piece of sports equipment and given their relative inexpense and protection from other facial injuries should still be used.

One way in which mouthguards could prevent repeated concussions is the rise of smart mouthguards, which have sensors that can detect sudden violent impacts in real-time, allowing for far quicker assessments by a doctor rather than waiting for self-reported symptoms.