NCDS Mouth Guard Initiative

The NCDS hopes to make oral trauma prevention for our athletes a priority.  In an effort to minimize oral injuries, the North Carolina Dental Society has launched a public awareness program to encourage the broader use of mouth guards in high school athletics. The ADA estimates that mouth guards prevent about 20,000 oral injuries per year. We can start right here in our own state, a grassroots effort to encourage the use of mouth guards by our student athletes.

All athletes should wear mouth guard protection. Mouth guards can be comfortable, and should not inhibit speech or breathing. Athletes in orthodontic braces can even wear specially designed mouth guards. NCDS is currently creating a network of dentists to adopt North Carolina high schools and become a resource dentist for schools around the state. As dentists, we should step up and take an active role in solving the problem of oral injury in our student athletes.

Currently, mouth guards are mandatory only for football in our state. The NCDS hopes that stronger mouth guard guidelines can be adopted for men and women athletes participating in basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball and wrestling. As other sports, such as lacrosse, field hockey and ice hockey, become increasingly popular in North Carolina , the athletes participating in these sports will need mouth guards as well.

Cooperation between the athletic association, the school athletic teams, the parent networks, and the dental community is essential to ensure the safety of high school athletes. With the support of parents, athletes, coaches and trainers, the NCDS believes that mouth guards will be a welcome addition to the uniform regulations. We hope that each student athlete can be protected and own a properly fitted mouth guard.

The facts speak for themselves. Let’s beat the odds together and make trauma prevention and mouth guard usage a priority!