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One out of 3
boys and one out of 4 girls will experience a dental injury by the
time they finish high school.[1]
An Illinois hospital study says
that almost 10 percent of all dental injuries are sports
related.[2] In collision sports, such as
football, hockey and boxing, the risk of injury is obvious.
Athletes who participate in these sports are required to wear
protective gear. However, in contact sports such as
basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling, soccer and
volleyball, protective mouth gear is not mandatory and there
appears to be little awareness of the risks of dental injury.
Sport [3] % of players who had
oral-facial injuries:
Football: 32%
Basketball: 21.6%
Baseball:
18.6%
Almost 12 percent of male athletes between ages 12 and 18
reported oral injuries.[4] In a survey of
1,020 Florida high-school varsity basketball players, 33
percent reported sustaining at least one oral-facial injury
during a season.[5] Of all basketball
injuries, 34 percent were oral-facial.[6]
Using Mouthguards Reduces
Injuries
Before mandatory oral-facial
protection in football (1962), 50 percent of all injuries in
football were oral-facial. After required use of protection,
only 3 percent of football injuries are oral-facial.[7-10]
It is estimated that annually more than 200,000 oral-facial
injuries are prevented because of mandatory mouthguard wear in
football.[11] Hard tissue trauma of the
mouth and lower face was reported to be 60 times more likely
for athletes who did not wear mouthguards. [12] Properly fitted mouthguards
reduce the rate of concussions and dental and jaw injuries
during sports.[13]
Athletes Resist Wearing
Mouthguards
Voluntary use of mouthguards in
sports is rare and shows no signs of improving. Only 4 percent
of 1,020 Florida high-school basketball players wore
mouthguards.[14] Forty percent of Florida
high-school basketball players objected to using mouthguards
because of discomfort, difficulty breathing and difficulty
speaking. Inexpensive mouthguards are available to alleviate
each of the objections.[15] Ninety-five
percent of coaches said they believe mouthguards prevent oral
injuries, but only 16 percent required mouthguard use in
sports other than football.[16] |
