The effect of mouthguard design on respiratory function in athletes. Can Cephalometric airway analysis predict ventilatory function in elite athletes?

Twenty seven athletes participated in three experimental exercise sessions involving a graded exercise treadmill test, wearing either one of two types of custom mouthguard or no mouthguard. Additionally, cephalometric tracings were conducted and graded into three classes of facial skeletal profile inclusive of posterior airway space, soft palate length and hyoid to mandibular plane length measurements. Results found that compared with control, the wearing of two different custom made mouthguards did not impair ventilation or oxygen uptake during varying levels of exercise intensity in team sport athletes and that there was no relationship between airway cephalometric parameters and ventilatory performance.