Mouthguards Essential For Contact Sports

Tue, 05 Feb 2008

Dental professionals have warned that mouthguards need to be made compulsory for schoolchildren and club players taking part in contact sports .

According to recent studies, between 13 per cent and 39 per cent of all dental injuries are sports-related, while around one in four children in the UK will injure/lose a front tooth at some stage.

Dental experts have stressed that the number of sporting accidents resulting in dental injuries are rising in line with the number of contact sport participants, while the risk of tooth damage is also increased in physical sports where speed or moving objects, such as bats and balls, are involved.

The British Orthodontic Society (BOS) states that mouthguards are just as important for players who wear braces ‘to avoid a laceration to the mouth from the brace; to avoid damage to the brace; and to prevent injury to the teeth' .

Many contact sport official bodies highlight the importance of wearing mouthguard.

The England hockey website says the sport's rules ‘clearly state that field players are recommended to wear mouth, shin and ankle protection’, while Rugby union rules state that ‘all players on the rugby field must have a mouthguard as it protects the teeth, gums and it also prevents a player from biting their tongue’.

In addition, some dental insurance plans refuse to pay out if damage to teeth occurs during a contact sport and a mouthguard was not worn to alleviate the risk.

Chairman of the British Orthodontic Society, Iain Hathorn, commented: "My experience in dealing with rugby players in the Premiership is that the sooner mouthguards are worn the more likely they will be worn in a playing lifetime."
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