Delta Dental Recommends Mouth Guards to Prevent Injuries During School Sports

August 13, 2007 (Okemos, Mich.) — Though most parents or caregivers would never send a child to school without the proper school supplies like pencils and paper, many ignore a very important back-to-school essential for children’s oral health and safety — a mouth guard.

“Physical activity and education are imperative to overall health and well-being, but can also be potentially dangerous to dental health,” said Jed. J. Jacobson, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., senior vice president of professional services and chief science officer at Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. “But like any protective sporting equipment, wearing a mouth guard can help reduce injury and ensure a safer game.”

Sports-related dental injuries send about 600,000 youths to the emergency room each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mouth guards are an inexpensive, yet effective way to prevent dental disasters. By functioning as a shock absorber, it is estimated that mouth guards avert 200,000 oral injuries each year and can cut the risk of concussion by 50 percent. Oral injuries can include fractured teeth, neck injuries and even abrasions from braces.

While contact sports such as football, hockey and basketball are common sources for oral injury, non-contact sports such as gymnastics, volleyball and recreational physical activity also pose a threat.

Aside from causing a child undue trauma, treatment procedures can also be extremely expensive for parents. The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety estimates the total cost of replacing a tooth lost in a sports injury can range from $5,000 to upward of $20,000 over a lifetime.

Mouth guards come in three different styles, varying in price and protection. Stock mouth guards offer the most basic level of protection. They are inexpensive, ready to wear and can be purchased at most sporting goods stores. Boil-and-bite mouth guards are formed by first softening the guard in water and then adapting it to the athlete’s mouth, creating a higher level of protection. This is the most popular style and can also be found in most athletic stores. Custom made mouth guards can be created by a dentist to provide an exact fit, but tend to be the most expensive. Talk to your dentist about which option may be best for your child.

“Regardless of the style you choose, a mouth guard is a necessary piece of equipment for every athlete,” said Dr. Jacobson. “Purchasing a protective mouth guard for your child and making sure they use it will reduce their risk of a traumatic accident. It is something no athlete should be without.”

Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, with its affiliate in Tennessee, make up one of the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2006, the enterprise paid more than $1.7 billion for dental care for more than 6.2 million enrollees. Offices are located in Okemos and Farmington Hills, Mich.; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis and Greenwood, Ind.; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.