RESPONSE TO "MOUTHGUARDS ARE A MUST ON LOCAL HARDWOOD" ARTICLE

The following is a response by MIAA Sports Medical Committee member, Dr. Paul David Epstein, D.M.D. to the article entitled "Mouthguards are a Must on Local Hardwood."

Mr. Ryan's article, "Mouthguards are a Must on Local Hardwood", misstates the facts regarding mandatory mouthguards for basketball players and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's (MIAA) decision.   The MIAA Sports Medical Committee overwhelmingly recommended the use of mouthguards for basketball.

Mouthguards are the most effective piece of equipment to help prevent injury to the teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue.  Mouthguards cushion blows to the face so as to decrease the chances of jaw fractures and concussions.  A recent University of North Carolina study showed that athletes from 50 different men's Division I college basketball teams who wore mouthguards during the 1999-2000 season had significantly fewer dental injuries than their peers who left their teeth unguarded.

An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard.  According to the National Institute of Dental Research, 34% of high school basketball players suffer orofacial injuries.  Basketball had the highest dental injury rate among women athletes, followed by soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball and softball in a 1989 study.

Communication, necessary in basketball and other team sports, is not compromised when players wear mouthguards.  College and professional basketball players wear mouthguards and perform at the optimum level.  Custom made mouthguards fitted by a dentist offer the athlete the best protection, most comfort and the ability to communicate easily without a restriction in breathing.  The Massachusetts Dental Association has a list of dentists that make custom mouthguards at a nominal fee.

The use of mouthguards for the contact sport basketball is recommended by the: National Association of Secondary School Principals, Athletic Trainer's Association, National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, Academy of Sports Dentistry, American Dental Association, Massachusetts Dental Society and Massachusetts Academy of Pediatric Dentists.