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**Athletic Mouthguards**  by Michelle Hill & Nazanin Shamiani  

(Custom Mouth Guards, 2011)

Stock Mouthguards/Boil and Bite (Athletic Team Skyline Specialists, 2011)

Goal: To increase our fellow oral healthcare professionals knowledge in the area of health promotion, specifically pertaining to athletic mouthguards.

Objectives:  - Relate the use of a medical, dental, and personal health history in assessing a client's risk factors for oral health in regards to the need for a mouthguard. - Compare the differences between a custom mouthguard versus stock or over the counter. - State the implications of not using a mouthguard. - Outline the steps in fabricating a custom mouthguard. - Promote the values of the dental hygiene profession regarding primary prevention through the use of a mouthguard. Related Videos: media type="youtube" key="QHeSyKS7CSc" height="315" width="419" align="left" media type="youtube" key="meKhMQig7RI" width="380" height="315" media type="youtube" key="9rSrSNLpVQE" width="425" height="350" align="center"

Overview: - Athletic mouthguards are made of soft plastic that fit over the teeth for protection.

- Custom mouthguards are a more comfortable precise fit whereas stock or over the counter offer some protection but are not as superior to a custom fitted mouthguard.

- However any mouthguard is better than no mouthguard!!!

- Mouthguards protect not only teeth but also lips, cheeks, and the tongue.

- Mouthguards also protect from concussions and jaw fractures.

Tips: - Never share mouthguards

- Rinse and store in a container

- If necessary, you can brush your mouthguard to clean it

- As children's dentition change or grow one should check their mouthguard for an optimal fit

- As a mouthguard wears or does not fit well it will need to be replaced however this is client specific

- With contact sports like hockey, football, or boxing a maxillary guard is best

- With non-contact sports like golf, or baseball a mandibular guard is worn

Related Published Articles:
 http://www.on-dei.com/ResearchArticles/Prevention/Mouthguards_Mouthpieces.pdf http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-7325.1995.tb02356.x/abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC162236/ References: Darby, M., & Walsh, M. (2010). //Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice// (3rd ed.). St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier.

Wilkins, E. M. (2009). Clinical practice of the dental hygienist. (10th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Custom Mouthguards. (2011). Kamatovic orthodontics. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from http://www.kamatovicortho.com/mouthguard-clinic.php Athletic Team Skyline Specialists. (2011). Mouthguards. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from http://www.teamskyline.com/index.cfm/fusemethod/cdd2_sub/catid/6/category/Football/subcatid/174/sub_category/Mouthguards/