Eye injuries and orofacial traumas in floorball - a survey in Switzerland and Sweden

The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of eye injuries and orofacial traumas in floorball. In addition, the athletes' habits of wearing protective goggles and mouthguards was surveyed, and an assessment was made of the general level of knowledge amongst athletes and coaches about preventive and first aid measures after a dental trauma and the resulting consequences. The study was conducted by the same interviewer in Switzerland and Sweden during the 2009/2010 season using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 608 individuals (565 athletes and 43 coaches) belonging to the amateur and semi-professional leagues in the two countries were individually interviewed. Although 72.7% of all athletes had observed and 27.7% of field players had sustained an injury to the eye or its vicinity, only 25 athletes (4.9%) wore protective eyewear. Similarly, despite 31.7% of all players having observed a dental or jaw injury and 11.3% of interviewed field players having suffered one, only one athlete wore a mouthguard on a regular basis. Participants from Switzerland were significantly better informed than participants from Sweden with regard to first aid measures. The results of this study show that floorball has an equally high risk for dental trauma as handball. Further investigations of dental injuries in floorball would be valuable in order to provide players, coaches, parents and sporting federations with the necessary information to make decisions regarding the use of mouthguards. It is strongly recommended that protective eyewear should be made mandatory.