Question: How common are sports dental injuries and how are they prevented?
Explanation: Sport accounts for a substantial proportion of dental trauma, particularly in contact and collision sports such as rugby, hockey, boxing, and martial arts, but also in basketball, cycling, and skateboarding. Upper central incisors are the most commonly damaged teeth. A properly fitted custom mouthguard, made from an impression of the teeth, reduces injury risk dramatically compared with boil-and-bite or stock guards, which fit poorly and are often not worn. Every sports club should have a dental first aid protocol, including a tooth storage medium.
Related Questions:
Are custom mouthguards genuinely better than shop-bought ones?
Yes, substantially. Custom guards are made on a model of the individual’s teeth, so they stay in place, allow speech and breathing, and distribute impact forces evenly. Boil-and-bite guards deform, shift on impact, and are frequently removed by athletes because they are uncomfortable.
Should children wear mouthguards for sport?
Yes, for any sport with a risk of facial contact. Children’s mouthguards need remaking as teeth erupt and jaws grow, typically annually. The cost is a fraction of treating an avulsed permanent incisor, which may need lifelong management including root canal treatment and eventual implant placement.
What should be in a sports dental first aid kit?
A container of long-life milk or a proprietary tooth preservation solution, sterile gauze, a small mirror, disposable gloves, and a card with local emergency dental contact details. Every coach should know that an avulsed tooth is handled by the crown, never the root.
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