Instrumented mouthguards and how we can use them to make rugby safer

Abstract

Rugby union is a popular fast paced collision sport, which exposes players to repeated head acceleration events (HAE). Despite the popularity of the game there is growing concern for rugby union player safety and ongoing medical problems following a concussion or long-term participation in the game. While research on male players in this area is mounting, research on females and adolescent rugby players is sparse, yet they are a growing cohort wanting to play the game. This presentation aims to discuss what instrumented mouthguards are, what metrics these instrumented mouthguards can collect and how we might use this information to make rugby safer. In particular, I will use research regarding HAE exposure in adolescent female rugby players which was collected over 2 seasons from instrumented mouthguards to illustrate what data can be collected and how we might use this data to inform better practice.