The smart gum shield, which records the forces involved in collision sports, has been used for the first time in the men's Six Nations.
Gum shields equipped with chips that record gravity are gradually being introduced in professional rugby union.
While few doubt that this is a step toward a deeper understanding of collision sports, some of the research has been questioned by concussion experts, who are calling for further changes.
Here's what you need to know:
What is your background?
Rugby union is facing a safety crisis. Hundreds of former players He took the game's governing body to court over the management of head injuries during their careers.
In October, World Rugby announced: Smart mouthguards will be worn at WXV – New international competitions – before being introduced worldwide from January 2024.
This comes after multiple trials and two academic studies funded by World Rugby, with the results giving “players and parents more confidence than ever in the benefits and safety of rugby.” I was able to obtain it.”
In October, chief medical officer Dr Ianna Falvey told BBC Sport that the introduction of gum shields would be a “very positive” change.
Manufactured by Prevent Biometrics, the gum shield records the gravitational force (G-force) and direction of the force associated with contact, known as a “head acceleration event.”
These can be used to provide real-time data to doctors and other sideline officials and inform the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process a player undergoes following head contact.
What did the World Rugby investigation find?
World Rugby funded the Otago Community Head Impact Detection Study (Orchid) and its Elite Extension study conducted by Ulster University.
The Orchid study used smart gumshields to investigate cumulative head acceleration events (HAEs) in New Zealand male rugby players from the under-13 age group to elite level.
As a result, 86% of the forces applied to the head in community rugby are equal to or less than those experienced during common physical activities such as running, jumping or skipping, while 94% are caused by people riding a roller coaster. was found to be lower than the force previously measured at .
The Elite Extension study, which looked at both men's and women's rugby, found that while most contact events in the elite game do not result in significant force to the head, forwards are more likely to experience force events than backs. was found to be high.
World Rugby said the data provided an “unprecedented complete picture of rugby play”. Sir Bill Beaumont, chairman of the organization and former England captain, said Orchid's research shows the organization is dedicating time, energy and effort to making the sport safer and that it will “never ignore player welfare”. He added that it was “concrete evidence” that people were not looking at the situation.
World Rugby has developed minimum specifications for the Smart Gum Shield, including independent testing, which will be reviewed every six months.
The Prevent Biometric Gum Shield was chosen for rollout as World Rugby announced it was the only manufacturer to meet its specifications.
The Protect Gum Shield was used in trials in 2019 when players from Welsh clubs Ospreys and Blues wore the Smart Gum Shield during a Pro14 match.
What kind of criticism have you received?
The Orchid study's lead author acknowledges that the technology is still in its infancy.
Professor Melanie Bassey from the University of Otago said: “Athlete safety is our primary concern and this technology gives us the best opportunity to understand the multifactorial nature of head injuries in sport. I'll give it to you.''
“But more research is needed to understand the clinical relevance of this data. That's how science works.”
However, two concussion experts said that data from force events less than 10G should have been ignored, and that more detailed information should have existed for data recorded above 60G.
A sub-10G event is like riding a roller coaster or trampoline. A recent study found that American football players diagnosed with concussions had HAEs ranging from 40 to 150 Gs.
Professor Alan Pearce from La Trobe University in Melbourne said it was “very puzzling” that all forces above 60G were grouped together in the study.
“There's a lot of evidence that above 60G, there's a lot of shock, not just concussive shock, and a lot of data is extracted,” he added.
“Rugby claims that many hits are no different than skips or runs… This is a clear case that such things can be said if you are starting to collect data below 10G. ”
The lead author of the Elite Extension study said all impacts above 60G were grouped together because they were so few in number.
But Dr Doug King, a New Zealand-based head injury and head biomechanics expert, said the data may not show the “full picture” as concussions often occur at 90Gs and above. He said he was concerned that this might happen.
An academic paper submitted to the International Injury Biomechanics Research Council last year said the gingival shield technology underestimates acceleration during high-velocity impacts.
Professor Damien Bailey, director of the Neurovascular Institute at the University of South Wales, said: “There is a legitimate concern that some of the very large shocks that can cause real damage, for example over 100G, will be missed. There is,” he said.
“It's very rare, but these are very important events to record.”
Prevent Biometrics said in a statement that its Intelligent Mouthguard System is “the most widely evaluated and independently vetted head impact sensor on the planet,” with “thousands of peer-reviewed and published head impact sensors. '' has undergone clinical testing.
World Rugby said the study was independent and the data was “completely accurately reported and independently peer-reviewed”.
Five of the seven co-authors of the Orchid study declared a conflict of interest, and two co-authors of the Elite Extension study were declared to be employees of World Rugby.
Although it is common for sports organizations to fund academic research, Professor Pearce said “many” scientists were “very concerned about the independence aspect”.
“We walk a very fine line between truly independent research, which funding bodies, including sport, should be able to fund but have no involvement whatsoever,” he said.
In response, the study's lead author told the BBC that World Rugby had no involvement in the study's “data processing, data analysis or interpretation of the study or results” to protect the integrity of the study.
Professor Bassey added: “As academic researchers, we have our own ethics and standards to uphold. Our research has been published in one of the top scientific journals in our field and has been recognized by multiple highly It stands as an independent study that has been independently peer-reviewed in a reputable scientific journal.” , a senior researcher in our field.
“We stand behind research results and academic integrity. From the beginning, our position on world rugby has been to 'follow the data wherever it goes'.”
What else can I do?
Former Wales player Alix Popham was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2019 and is one of around 300 former players suing rugby union governing bodies for negligence, claiming brain damage caused by playing rugby. One of them.
He called for further changes to be made “as soon as possible” to protect players.
“There has been knowledge in rugby for decades,” the 44-year-old said, highlighting that a three-week stand-down for players with concussion was introduced in 1977.
“People need to know the truth about how often these car accidents occur.
“In the NFL you are allowed to do 14 padded sessions a year. A rugby player can do that in six to eight weeks. It can make a huge difference to a player overnight.”
“You also have to rest between seasons… There are players from South Africa and Argentina who play 12 months a year.
“We need to address the issue, draw a line in the sand and make changes.”
Dr. King wants to focus on injury management and the number of impacts that athletes experience rather than the magnitude.
“If you get a concussion, you have to sit out for three months,” he said.
“I think the ultimate goal of all of this is to heal the injury. If you break your leg, how much time do you rest? Because you can't run or do anything with that leg. You can see the big bandaid, so no one “I know'' on that. ”