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Gass M, Kühl S et al. Dent Traumatol 2016; 32: 174–179

The aim of this study was 1) to put some detail on the observation that showjumping results in a high risk of injury to riders, and 2) to propose strategies to minimise such injuries. Interviews were carried out on 608 riders. Some one third of them had witnessed tooth trauma with 15% having sustained trauma to their own teeth. Only three of the respondents wore a mouth guard despite over three quarters being familiar with their use. Reasons for not wearing a mouthguard were that they were considered of doubtful benefit and that they were poorly tolerated. All competitors wore a helmet and some, particularly amateurs, wore a 'back' (body) protector. The authors argue that the use of mouth guards during showjumping should be mandated, as with the wearing of helmets, by the sport's governing bodies. Injuries to horses were not mentioned. The syntax of this paper is sub-optimal.