Irish Dentists Urge Parents To Buy Mouth Guards For Children
Irish dentists have urged parents to buy their children mouth guards after a report found that 80 per cent of schoolchildren do not wear a mouth guard to play sport.
New research has revealed that almost 80 per cent of primary school children do not wear a gum shield, despite the fact that 95 per cent of children play at least one sport. The study, which was carried out by public health dentists, involved 505 national schoolchildren.
Parents were asked to fill out a confidential questionnaire; the results revealed that more than two thirds of children play at least 2 sports, with Gaelic football, basketball and football among the most popular sports.
Around 60 per cent of children who played rugby wore a gum shield, but the figure was less than 10 percent for hurling and less than 4 per cent for basketball. More than two thirds of parents said that the clubs their children attended did not have a policy on wearing mouth guards.
The reasons given for not wearing mouth guards included cost, a lack of information about mouth guards and a lack of policy at schools and sports clubs.
Margaret O’Malley, from the Health Service Executive West dental services in Castlebar, County Mayo, said that children were at risk of injury and urged parents to encourage their children to wear a mouth guard when playing spots, especially those with a high risk of dental injury.
Join this Discussion