Mouth & Jaw

With participation in high school and college sports and injuries, including to the teeth, on the rise, the National Athletic Trainers' Association has issued new guidelines on preventing and managing sport-related dental and oral injuries through the use of mouthguards.

Nutrition plays a huge role in how strong your child's teeth and bones form. You can help your kids develop and grow by encouraging healthy foods in their diet. The right foods can help teeth and enamel stay strong and healthy. Here are some common foods that can help with your children's oral health.

Dental and orofacial injuries are common in sport, but most are preventable with proper equipment, reports a 2013 study.

Keeping children's brains and bodies safe during sports is a top priority, which is why close attention is paid to helmets and pads. But what about children's mouths? April is National Facial Protection Month, which makes it an excellent time to take steps to protect your kid's mouth from unnecessary injury with an affordable but often overlooked device: the mouth guard.

Mouthguards become highly contaminated with bacteria, yeast and mold with use and should be sanitized in an antimicrobrial solution between uses, recommends a new study by researchers at Oklahoma State University.

Mouth guards shold be replaced every 14 days, or earlier if they develop sharp or jagged edges, because they can cause mouth cuts and abrasions which expose an athlete to an increased risk of bacterial, yeast and fungal infection.

A new survey reveals parents do not take advantage of some inexpensive protective sports gear, such as mouth guards, in many kids' sports. Since many oral sports injuries can be prevented by wearing mouth guards, why aren't more parents and kids getting the message?