Olympic gold medals won by the USA women's soccer, basketball and softball teams, as well as the upcoming debut of the Women's National Basketball Association have sparked interest and participation in organized athletic activities among young girls and women. According to the Women's Sport Foundation, only one in 27 girls participated in high school athletics in the 1970s compared to one in three in the 1990s. And, according to a recent study, 70 percent of women over 18 currently consider themselves physically active. Before you or your daughter take the field to participate, however, make sure your protective gear includes a mouthguard, urge dental experts meeting at the Academy of General Dentistry's 45th annual meeting.
Contact sports such as football and hockey are usually associated with orofacial injuries and require protective mouthguards; however, recent findings show that soccer players are more likely than football players to sustain an orofacial injury, while basketball players' risk is up to 15 times that of football players' risk.
"Even though basketball is not considered a contact sport, recent studies have found that as high as 30 percent of orofacial injuries result from contact during a basketball game," says David Kumamoto, DDS, Fellow of the Academy and team dentist for the University of Illinois-Chicago Athletic Department.
Mouthguards protect against injuries to the lips, teeth, cheeks and tongue, and reduce the incidence and severity of injuries during practice and competition. They also help protect against concussions, jaw fractures and neck injuries.
"Increased participation in sports by women and girls shows that they're taking athletics seriously. And they need to protect themselves from preventable injuries," says Dr. Kumamoto.
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends that players participating in basketball, softball, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, in-line skating and martial arts, whether for an athletic competition or leisure activity, wear mouthguards while competing. Currently, women's field hockey and lacrosse teams are the only teams that require mouthguards at the high school and college level.
