Don't put your oral health at risk, wear a mouthguard

A systematic review of more than 256 studies showed the number of dental injuries while participating in sport is significantly higher in those who do not use mouthguards.

Common injuries were found to include broken, chipped or knocked out teeth, bitten tongues and dislocated jaws.

The Oral Health Foundation believe wearing mouthguards would prevent such injuries and should be made a requirement across sports such as cricket, football, rugby, hockey and martial arts.

Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, is keen to highlight the importance of wearing a mouthguard for sports with either physical contact or fast-moving objects.

He said, “In many cases, knocked out teeth, or teeth that have been chipped or damaged through trauma can be avoided by wearing a mouthguard.

“Damage to your mouth can be extremely distressing, and the treatment to fix it might be costly. Any injury might also affect how you smile and could have on your appearance.