Yet basketball and baseball are associated with the largest number of dental injuries. Mouthguards are required in only four school-based sports: football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey. You wouldn't let your child play football without a helmet and protective padding, right? Yet it might surprise you to know that kids playing basketball are 15 times more likely to sustain injuries to the mouth or face than football players! Mandatory mouthguards are one reason for that: More American kids wear mouth protection for football than any other sport, which has resulted in a dramatic drop in injuries. Yet there's a simple and relatively inexpensive way to reduce the chance of dental injury in children: A properly-fitted, comfortable mouthguard, worn whenever playing sports where the possibility of orofacial injury exists. How prevalent are sports-related dental injuries? In 2012, the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation forecast that more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events that year! Among all the dental injuries we treat in children, it is estimated that over 25% are sports-related, and the majority of these involve the top front teeth.īesides the immediate trauma, sports-related injuries can result in time lost from school and work, and substantial cost - up to $20,000 over a lifetime to treat a missing permanent tooth. Does this mean your kids shouldn't play sports? Of course not! But it makes sense to learn about the risks involved, and to take appropriate precautions.
Yet inevitably, along with all the fun, the sense of achievement, and the character-building features of athletics, the possibility of injury exists. Kids who take part in athletic activities - whether they're playing on organized sports teams, bicycling, or just kicking a ball around - gain a host of well-documented health benefits.
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