Sports Dentistry Facts
Sports Dentistry Facts:
- An athlete is 60 times more likely to suffer harm to the teeth when not wearing a mouthguard.
- It is estimated that mouthguards prevent more than 200,000 injuries each year.
- Sports-related dental injuries account for more than 600,000 emergency room visits each year.
- Victims of knocked out teeth, who do not have a tooth properly preserved or replanted, may face lifetime dental costs of $10,000 to $20,000 per tooth!
- 13-39% of all dental injures are sports-related, with 2-18% of the injuries related to the maxillofacial (upper front teeth).
- The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimated that more than 3 million teeth were knocked out in youth sporting events in 2012 alone.
- 60 million children ages 6 to 18 years old participate in organized athletics.
- Every athlete involved in contact sport has about 10% chance per season of an orofacial injury or a 33-56% chance during an athletic career.
- The cost of a dental implant replacing a front tooth and follow-up dental treatment is upwards of $5,000.
- Most organized sports-related injuries (62%) occur during practice rather than games.
- Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports; a majority of these dental injuries are preventable.
- The cost of a fractured tooth is many times greater than the cost of a dentist diagnosed and designed professionally made mouthguard.
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a mouthguard for all children and youth participating in any organized sports activities.
- On average, more than 5 million teeth are avulsed each year; many during sports activities, resulting in nearly $500 million spent on replacing these teeth each year.
- Over 80% of all dental injuries involve the upper front teeth.
- The American Dental Association recommends wearing a properly fitted mouthguard for all of the following sports: acrobatics, basketball, bicycling, boxing, handball, ice hockey, inline skating, lacrosse, sky diving, soccer, softball, squash, equestrian events extreme sports, field events, field hockey, football, gymnastics, martial arts, racquetball, rugby, shot putting, skateboarding, skiing, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
- American Dental Association
- Journal of the American Dental Association
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
- Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine
- Academy of General Dentistry
- National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety
- Center for Disease Control
Schedule Your Next Visit
Make your appointment today