Sports dentistry - Prevention and protection

Dental trauma in sports is the major linking channel between the sports and dentistry. The combined impact of violence traffic accidents and sporting activities has contributed to the establishment of traumatic dental injuries as a public dental health problem. In children sports activities were found to be responsible for 13% of overall oral trauma. It is emphasized that there is a great need for “Team Dentist” from high schools to professional teams. Sports dentistry is the prevention of oral/facial athletic injuries and related oral diseases and manifestations. Various dental traumas encountered during sports are luxation injuries to tooth avulsion fracture of the facial bones and concussion injuries. The preventive measures like usage of helmets mouthguards and other protective gears have reduced the impact on the athlete thereby reducing the injuries. Modifications of these protective gears also have been studied and changes have been made to make them more comfortable user-friendly and also safer.