Custom-made mouthguards are used to prevent orofacial injuries arising
from falls and knocks. It has been observed that thicker custom-made
mouthguards transmit less force to the mouth owing to their higher energy
absorption capacity. However, it is believed that thicker custom-made
mouthguards can alter ventilation during exercise because of the higher
resistance or restriction of oral airflow. The purpose of this study was to investigate
if a thicker custom-made mouthguard (occlusal thickness of 5 mm; 5MG) alters
ventilatory parameters, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and peak velocity
during an incremental test relative to a thinner custom-made mouthguard
(occlusal thickness of 3 mm; 3MG) and no mouthguard (NoMG). Eleven male amateur
contact team sports players completed three running incremental tests on different
days. Each test was performed with either 3MG, 5MG, or without a mouthguard. The
peak velocity during the incremental test was similar between the different
conditions (14.9±0.6, 14.9±0.7, and 14.7±0.9 km