In 2011, students from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine presented custom-made mouth guards to 70 young athletes at the Boys & Girls Club in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The event was part of Operation Mouthguard, a program started in 2000 by Harvard dental students. This community service project highlighted the importance of mouth guard use in youth sports. These devices are key to protecting the mouths and faces of young athletes.
Recommended Sports
Mouth guards are an important part of keeping kids safe when they are on the field. More than two million teeth are knocked out each year due to sports injuries, according to the American Dental Association. If children engage in a sport requiring physical contact, chances are a mouth guard can reduce their chances of injury. Sports like wrestling, baseball, football, and soccer may seem obvious, but don't forget other athletic activities like martial arts and gymnastics .
Wearing Mouth Guards
Young athletes should start wearing mouth guards as their permanent teeth come in around ages 6 or 7, according to the American Academy of General Dentistry's Dr. Bruce Burton. Although more expensive than store-bought varieties, a custom-made mouth guard is the best option for your child. Your dentist makes a mold of your child's teeth and mouth to create a guard that fits perfectly. Getting a custom-made mouth guard is ideal for kids because of changing dental considerations such as teeth growth and braces.
Protective Benefits
Mouth guards can prevent or reduce the severity of many serious sports injuries including broken teeth, fractured jaws and even neck injuries. They protect the tongue, lips and checks as well. Dr. Burton reports that up to half of concussions can be avoided by mouth guard use. Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy found that injuries connected to youth baseball dropped 25 percent between 1994 and 2006. The 2009 study, published in "Pediatrics," suggests that increased used of protective equipment including properly-fitted mouth guards may play a role in the decrease.
Encouraging Use
Getting your child to commit to wearing a mouth guard can be a challenge. As a parent, you should explain the repercussions of not wearing the device. The fear of losing teeth, suffering permanent injury or not being allowed to play can be powerful motivators for use. Coaches also play an integral part in encouraging compliance; they can stress that wearing a mouth guard is required to play. Both dentists and coaches are instrumental resources on caring for mouth guards, as proper hygiene can be an issue among young players.
References
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Operation Mouthguard Safeguards Young Athletes' Mouths; 2011
- Ohio Dental Association; Properly Fitted Mouthguards; 2005
- "SportingKid"; Injury Prevention: Are All Your Young Athletes Wearing Properly Fitted Mouth Guards?; Winter 2010
- Nationwide Children's Hospital; National Study Finds Youth Baseball-Related Injuries Down 25 Percent; May 2009
