Sports Dentistry and Mouthguards

Dental and orofacial injuries have been reported to be the most commonly occurring form of traumatic injury resulting from sport-related activities. Sports dentistry is the upcoming field in dentistry which is associated with the correct diagnosis, prevention and treatment of orofacial injuries and related oral diseases. This branch also deals with the collection and dissemination of information on dental athletic injuries and the encouragement of research in the prevention of such traumatic injuries. This article discusses an overview of sport-related injuries in orofacial and dental region, incidence, evaluation, treatment and their prevention. It also discusses the several functions and types of mouthguards. It stresses the prime role of dentist in educating the general public, parents/guardians, staffs of emergency department, coaches and athletes regarding health risks and benefits of mouth guards including the importance of emergency care for orofacial injuries.