Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that athletic mouthguards worn by ice hockey and football
players harbor large numbers of bacteria, yeasts, and molds, some of which are either
opportunistic or frank pathogens. This article details the clinical history of two junior high school
football players. The first player had cellulitis of the leg after a non-break injury. The same
unusual bacterium was isolated from both the athletic mouthguard and abscess cultures from the
wound. The second patient suffered an attack of exercise-induced asthma so severe that his
inhaler could not control the symptoms enough for him to resume play. This child’s mouthguard
was contaminated with five different species of mold. The clinical implications of mouthguard
contamination, possible avenues of disease transmission, and recommendations for mouthguard
care are discussed.
AUTHORS: Glass RT, Wood CR, Bullard JW, Conrad RS
