SPORTS DENTISTRY

Vigorous physical activities as well as competitive athletics offer sports men and women a variety of health benefits. However, participating in such activities contribute to a major part of sports related injuries in children. Trauma occurring in developing years disrupts normal social functioning and brings about a major impact on quality of life due to their cumulative effect. Dental trauma in sports differ from other dental trauma as it is possible to easily prevent it and there is also the possibility to dramatically reduce the occurrence of injury by use of mouth guard that protect all dental and periodontal structures. Hence sports dentistry has evolved as an independent sub-specialty during the last decade. It has expanded much beyond its traditional image of being limited to mouth guard fabrication and treatment of fractured teeth. ¿Sports dentistry involves prevention and treatment of ore- facial athletic injuries and related oral diseases as well as the collection and dissemination of information on dental athletic injuries and encouragement of research in prevention of such injuries.