Sports dentistry is the branch of dentistry dealing with prevention and treatments of the pathologies and injuries of the oral cavity and the stomatognathic system related to sports practice. The stomatognathic system is the anatomical and functional system comprising the teeth, jaws, associated soft tissues, facial muscles and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
The key to preventing or reducing the severity of sports-related dental injuries is as simple as wearing a sports guard. A sports guard is a soft plastic or laminate appliance used to prevent injuries to the mouth, teeth, cheeks, gums, tongue, and jaw.
which oral injuries are mostly common while doing sports?
The common orofacial sports related injuries include soft tissue injury and hard tissue injury includes those to the teeth and facial bones, such as tooth intrusions, luxations, crown and/or root fractures, complete avulsions and dental-facial fractures. Sports dentistry had its origins in the 1980s and for persons involved in contact sports, recognition of the injury prone dentition, and expertise in immediate management of dental injuries form the basis of sports dentistry.
These injuries are most often due to direct hits with a ball or player-to-player contacts.
Depending on the extent and the types of injury, some injuries can be managed at the sporting event site, with the athlete resuming play immediately. Sports injuries can cause potentially serious broken bones or fractures of the face.
which age groups are prone to injury?
Three groups—children and adolescents, middle-aged athletes, and women—are particularly vulnerable.
which common sports cause the most injuries?
have Contact sports have inherent dangers that put young athletes at special risk for severe injuries. Biking topped the list of sports-related injuries, followed by basketball, playground activities, football and a few other sports. Some sports injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, and lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm up and stretching.
how to prevent oral and facial injuries while doing sports?
The most important aspect in preventing sports-related orofacial injuries is wearing basic protective devices such as properly-fitting helmets, facemasks and/or mouth guards. Perhaps the single most important piece of oral/facial protective equipment is a properly fitted mouth guard. Mouth guards should be worn when there is a possibility of body-to-body or body-to-equipment contact. Mouthguards help prevent injuries to the teeth, lips, gingiva, tongue, and mucosa. They cushion the blows that could cause jaw fractures, dislocations, and trauma to the temporomandibular joint. Mouth guards also aid in reducing the likelihood of concussion by maintaining a separation between the head of the mandibular condyle and the base of the skull.