Which injury is not reduced by a properly fitted mouth guard?

A properly fitted mouth guard is designed primarily to protect the teeth and surrounding oral structures from impact during sports activities. While it is effective in absorbing forces during trauma, particularly to the mouth and face, its benefits vary depending on the type of injury.

Fractures of the zygomatic bone, which is a bone that helps form the cheek, often require direct impact to the facial area to occur. Although a mouth guard can help reduce the risk of dental injuries and some soft tissue trauma, it does not provide significant protection against fractures of the zygomatic bone since such fractures typically arise from forces that affect the rest of the facial structure rather than just the teeth.

Injuries such as dental avulsions or concussions involve different mechanisms. A dental avulsion, the complete loss of a tooth, can often be prevented through the cushioning effect of a mouth guard, while concussions result from sudden forces impacting the head, which a mouth guard cannot effectively mitigate. Jaw dislocations, although somewhat influenced by the positioning of the mandible and oral structures, are also not directly prevented by a mouth guard.

Thus, recognizing that a mouth guard provides limited protection for the zygomatic bone compared to other types of injuries clarifies why this choice is associated