Mouthguard
A moulded guard worn over the teeth in contact and combat sports, cushioning the teeth and jaw against impact. Fit is what makes it work.
Overview
A mouthguard is a soft, moulded piece that fits over the teeth and is worn during contact and combat sports. Many types are shaped to the wearer’s teeth for a closer, more comfortable fit.
It is common protective equipment in sports with a high chance of contact to the face, such as boxing, rugby and martial arts.
Good to know
- Fitted types mould closely to the wearer’s teeth.
- Common in boxing, rugby and martial arts.
- Also called a gum shield in some countries.
Where it’s used
Sports that use mouthguard:
Boxing
A striking combat sport built on footwork, timing and conditioning, practised from fitness drills to controlled sparring.
Rugby
A physical team sport of carrying, passing and kicking an oval ball toward the opposing line.
Mixed Martial Arts
A combat sport that blends striking and grappling from several disciplines into one all-round skill set.
Related equipment
Football boots (cleats)
Studded footwear that grips the pitch for football and other field sports.
Boxing gloves
Padded gloves worn to cover the hands when punching in boxing and striking sports.
The rugby union ball
The oval ball that shapes how rugby union is passed and kicked — its weight, air pressure, construction and the provision that lets younger players use a smaller one.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Mouthguard in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Football boots (cleats)Both are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- The rugby union ballBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- The rugby union fieldBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- Artificial turfBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- GrassBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Rugby learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
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Playing surfaces
- Artificial turfSynthetic grass, often filled with sand or rubber, that gives a firm, even, all-weather surface. It plays faster and truer than worn natural grass.
- GrassNatural turf grown on soil — the traditional surface for many field sports and, in tennis, a fast court with a low, skiddy bounce.
- MatA cushioned, padded mat surface for grappling, striking and floor work — it absorbs falls and throws and grips underfoot, cushioning grappling, throws and floor work.
Learning paths
Disciplines
- KumiteKumite is the sparring discipline of karate, in which two athletes exchange controlled strikes and kicks under judged rules.
- Sparring (Kyorugi)Kyorugi is taekwondo's competitive sparring discipline, where two athletes score points by landing controlled kicks and punches on legal target areas within timed rounds.
Techniques
- Flat, slice and kick servesThe three serves and what actually separates them — the contact point on the ball and the toss that makes it possible — plus what each one does to the ball after it bounces.
- Ice hockey shootingThe four shots hockey is scored with — wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot and backhand — how each trades power against release time, and why the stick is bent on purpose.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Equipment
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-12
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