| As the weather heats up, kids head
to the athletic field. Whatever their sport, one of
their most important pieces of equipment is the mouth
protector. Mouth protectors,
or mouth guards, are designed to protect the athlete's
teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue during sports. The
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (www.aapd.org)
recommends that children wear mouth guards whenever they
participate in activities with a risk of falls or of
head contact with other players or equipment. These
include football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey,
skateboarding and gymnastics. Dental
injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury
sustained during participation in sports, according to
the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation
(www.nyssf.org). The NYSSF reports that children,
high-school athletes and college athletes will have more
than 5 million teeth knocked out in sporting activities
this year. A properly fitted mouth guard could prevent
many of these injuries. Here
are some statistics, according to the American
Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
(www.aaoms.org):
- In football, where mouth guards
are required, less than 1% of injuries involve teeth
and the oral cavity.
- In basketball, where mouth
guards are not required, nearly 35% of injuries
involves teeth and the oral cavity.
- Just 7% of school-age children
wear mouth guards, and nearly 4,000 players are
treated by doctors annually.
The AAOMS says there are three
types of mouth guards:
- Ready made, or stock, mouth
guard - the least expensive, available at most
sporting goods stores.
- "Boil-and-bite mouth guard
- a mouth-formed device, which is boiled in water by
a dental professional. Once cooled, the mouth guard
is placed in the user's mouth to shape.
- Custom-made mouth guard - made
by the dentist to fit the athlete's mouth.
The American Dental Association
(www.ada.org) recommends the following procedures for
caring for a mouth guard:
- Rinse with cold water before
and after each use.
- Occasionally clean the mouth
guard in cool, soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
- Place the mouth guard in a
firm, perforated container to store or transport it.
This permits air circulation and helps prevent
damage.
- To avoid distortion, avoid high
temperature, such as hot water, hot surfaces, or
direct sunlight.
- If the mouth guard has holes or
tears, or becomes loose, replace it.
ADA Offers Online PSA on Mouth
Guards
Looking for a fun way to stress
the importance of mouth guards to young students? The
American Dental Association offers a public service
announcement called Soccer Moms: Mouthguards,
which features a cartoon dragon named Dudley and his
friends. The PSA is available online in both English and
Spanish versions. To access the video, go to
www.ada.org/public/media/psa/psa-mouthguards.html.
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