Higher quality mouthguards, made of triple-layer technology and impact-absorbing material, offer numerous advantages over lower-quality products, but if an athlete’s mouthguard doesn’t stay in his or her mouth… it doesn’t matter.
The key to keeping an athlete safe is mouthguard retention. As long as mouthguards stay in mouths, facial and head injury rates go down. It’s a fact.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which publishes the playing rules for 16 boys and girls sports at the high school level:
“Properly fitted mouthguard use has been shown to reduce the oral-facial injury rate significantly in sports where it has been mandated. For example, prior to the use of properly fitted mouthguards and facemasks, over 50% of football players’ injuries were oral-facial. They now represent less than 1% of injuries.”
The NFHS currently mandates the use of mouthguards in football, field hockey, hockey, lacrosse and wrestling. Athletes who wear mouthguards that easily fall out are not only increasing their risk of injury, but also breaking rules by not complying with national and state mouthguard mandates.
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