Big Numbers of Youth Athletes Not Wearing Mouthguards

November 2019, a survey sponsored by Delta Dental found alarming numbers of youth athletes that are not wearing mouthguards during sports. For example; while playing soccer, 37 million athletes under the age 12 don’t wear a mouthguard while playing soccer. Protecting the teeth and facial bones in young athletes seems to be an inadequate priority, as young people are loosing millions of teeth each and every year during sports injuries.

The survey found the numbers of young people not wearing mouthguards  as follows:

• 79% gymnastics
• 72% basketball
• 71% soccer
• 70% baseball
• 65%volleyball
• 61% skiing
• 48% rugby
• 40% lacrosse
• 38% ice hockey
• 34% field hockey
• 34% boxing
• 26% football

Custom formed mouthguards, especially dual layered systems such as ProForm, substantially reduce oral injuries in contact and non-contact sports. Such injuries as cracked or lost teeth; fractures in crowns, roots, jawbones, cheekbones; cuts tongue, gums, lips, and cheeks; broken or damaged blood vessels and abrasions. All of which are reduced by wearing a well fitted mouthguard.

Youth athletes can be encouraged to wear mouthguards be offering customization such as a team colors or their favorite designs. There are many different variations in one, two, and three color. Also available is the increasingly popular Tie-Dye and Fun Mouthguards such as fangs! Other option for customization include the centri-fuse logo maker, which enables the youth athlete to put their team logo or name onto the mouthguard.