'Tis the Season for Sport-Related Mouth Injuries

Sep 8 • 1 minute read

A picture of an American football laying on the grass.

Kids are getting settled into a new school year, the days are getting shorter, depending on where you live the leaves are changing, and that means it's finally time for football season! As we thought about how awesome that's going to be, it occurred to us that it was also an appropriate time to write a blog post about sports-related mouth injuries.

Here's some fast facts from the experts on sports-related mouth injuries:

Most people know kids should wear a mouthguard when playing contact sports, but the American Dental Association also recommends wearing a mouth guard when playing or participating in:
- Equestrian events
- Gymnastics
- Shot put
- Skiing
- Surfing
- Weight lifting
According to a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association, more than 5 million teeth are lost while playing sports each year. About 3 million of these occur in youth sports.
The National Federation of State High School Associations only mandates mouth guards for football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey. Parents, even if your kid's school doesn't mandate mouth guards, make sure their teeth are protected!
On average, football players have about a 10% chance each season they play to sustain an orofacial (mouth or face) injury.
In high school and college football, mouth guards prevent more than 200,000 mouth injuries each year.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests mouth guards may be able to prevent concussions by reducing the force of some facial injuries.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, soccer players are the most likely athlete to sustain an orofacial injury, due partly because of less overall protection requirements.
The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety says an athlete without a mouth guard is 60 times more likely to damage their teeth while playing sports.

Thanks for Reading!

When you make your next dental appointment, make sure to ask your dentist what options they have for professionally made mouth guards and athletic protection if you or your child plays sports. Do your part to prevent costly mouth injuries and utilize proper protective equipment!

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