Haughey, JP;
Fine, P;
(2020)
Effects of the lower jaw position on athletic performance of elite athletes.
BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
, 6
(1)
, Article e000886. 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000886.
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Abstract
When an athlete wears a mouthguard, the position of the lower jaw is changed by virtue of the teeth being unable to occlude. Little research is available in in this area, which have indicated both positive impact and no positive impact. Objectives: This study aims to explore the influence of the lower jaw position on athletic performance in elite athletes. Methods: A repeated measures study compared two lower jaw positions, the athlete’s normal (habitual) bite and the lower jaw position when the muscles of mastication are at physiological rest (physiological rest bite). 15 athletes completed a medicine ball putt (upper body power), vertical jump (lower body power), sit and reach (composite hamstring flexibility), passive knee flexion (hamstring muscle length) and star excursion balance (stability and balance) tests in each condition. Results: Paired t-tests showed the physiological rest bite had significant (p<0.05) positive effect on athletic performance for each test. On average the physiological rest bite provided an increase of lower body power (5.8%), upper body power (10%), hamstring flexibility (14%) and balance and stability (4.8%) compared to the habitual bite. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of the need for further research to confirm if the lower jaw position can be optimised for athletic performance in athletes.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Effects of the lower jaw position on athletic performance of elite athletes |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000886 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000886 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Eastman Dental Institute UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Eastman Dental Institute > EDI Continuing Professional Develop. |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10117326 |
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