Smart Mouthguard Tech To Be Used For Head Injury Assessments

World Rugby has said it will integrate smart mouthguard technology into the Head Injury Assessment as part of a new phase of global player welfare measures and will be investing an initial €2 million to provide in-game alerts to independent pitch-side doctors.

The mouthguard technology will be first used at the WXV 2023 which gets underway on 13 October and will be integrated into the Head Injury Assessment from January 2024, but the governing body has again stressed that mouthguards are recommended at all levels of the game globally.

World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr Eanna Falvey said: “The latest scientific research and expert opinion is telling us one thing – reduce the forces players experience on their heads at all levels of the game. That is exactly what we’re doing.

The advances in smart mouthguard technology mean elite players will be better cared for than ever before. We are taking smart mouthguards out of the realm of medical research and putting them into the world of everyday performance management to continue to manage player welfare in the best way possible.”

This follows changes recommended to World Rugby by its independent Concussion Working Group. Presentations from world-leading experts including Boston University’s Professor Ann McKee and Dr Chris Nowinski, as well as Prof Grant Iverson of Harvard Medical School, were made to the Working Group.

• World Rugby says its HIA process currently has a 90 per cent success rate in diagnosing concussion.
• Prevent Biometrics will be supplying the smart mouthguards.
• A recommendation that players at all levels of the sport wear a mouthguard after research in ice hockey found that as well as protecting against dental injuries, mouthguards can reduce the risk of a concussion by 20 per cent.

The recordings and presentations received by the independent concussion working group in Boston have been published on World Rugby’s website.

Elite Rugby – Use Of Smart Mouthguards Will Be Mandatory

World Rugby says “Elite rugby players will be required to wear smart mouthguards to be able to use the in-game HIA1 test. The mouthguards will be required in training as well as matches, enabling coaches to better tailor drills, tackle skills and training load for each individual player, and best support their performance and welfare.”

Return To Play Guidelines

The Return-to-play guidelines for community rugby have also been extended to a minimum of 21 days under new guidance confirmed by World Rugby.

This is important as a number of unions in Asia whio opted in to the guidelines for the 2023/2024 season as several have started their season or are about to (An example from The Hong Kong Rugby Referees Society for this season can be seen here).

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