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Statistics
Incidence of Sports Players Who Had Oral-Facial Injuries [3]
Football: 32%
Basketball: 21.6%
Baseball: 18.6%
Almost 12 percent of male athletes between ages 12 and 18 reported oral injuries.[4] In a survey of 1,020 Florida high-school varsity basketball players, 33 percent reported sustaining at least one oral-facial injury during a season.[5] Of all basketball injuries, 34 percent were oral-facial.[6]
Athletes Resist Wearing Mouthguards
Voluntary use of mouthguards in sports is rare and shows no signs of improving. Only 4 percent of 1,020 Florida high-school basketball players wore mouthguards.[14] Forty percent of Florida high-school basketball players objected to using mouthguards because of discomfort, difficulty breathing and difficulty speaking. Inexpensive mouthguards are available to alleviate each of the objections.[15] Ninety-five percent of coaches said they believe mouthguards prevent oral injuries, but only 16 percent required mouthguard use in sports other than football.[16]
ONE OUT OF 3 BOYS AND ONE OUT OF 4 GIRLS WILL EXPERIENCE A DENTAL INJURY BY THE TIME THEY FINISH HIGH SCHOOL. [1]
Sports Dental Injuries
An Illinois hospital study says that almost 10 percent of all dental injuries are sports related.[2] In collision sports, such as football, hockey and boxing, the risk of injury is obvious. Athletes who participate in these sports are required to wear protective gear. However, in contact sports such as basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling, soccer and volleyball, protective mouth gear is not mandatory and there appears to be little awareness of the risks of dental injury.
Mouthguards Reduce Injuries
Before mandatory oral-facial protection in football (1962), 50 percent of all injuries in football were oral-facial. After required use of protection, only 3 percent of football injuries are oral-facial.[7-10] It is estimated that annually more than 200,000 oral-facial injuries are prevented because of mandatory mouthguard wear in football.[11] Hard tissue trauma of the mouth and lower face was reported to be 60 times more likely for athletes who did not wear mouthguards. [12] Properly fitted mouthguards reduce the rate of concussions and dental and jaw injuries during sports.[13]
