Eyes, Mouth & Jaw Center

Ahead of the Game: The Parent's Guide To Youth Sports Concussion

Rosemarie Scolaro Moser's [4] new book, Ahead of the Game: The Parent's Guide to Youth Sports Concussion (University Press of New England) is just what it says it is: a practical, no-nonsense guide for parents about sport concussions.

Moser brings to the subject matter a unique background: As a clinician who has treated hundreds if not thousands of concussed student-athletes at the Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey [5], she brings real world experience to the subject, not just as a neuropsychologist with specialized expertise on baseline and post-concussion neurocognitive testing [6] but in the management and treatment of concussions, including the academic accommodations [7] that are often needed during the sometimes long road to recovery.

Because the use of mouth guards in youth and high school football, lacrosse, and ice hockey has been mandatory since the early 1970's, these sports have experienced a dramatic decline in the number of dental and jaw injuries. Instead, published reports show that the majority of mouth injuries occur in such popular youth sports as baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, softball and gymnastics, which lag far behind in injury protection. Recent studies also report that oral and facial injuries to female athletes exceed those in males.

Featured Articles

[9]

[10]
Mouth Guards: Daily Sanitizing Between Uses Urged [10]

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.

Read more » [10]
[11]
Eye Safety in Sports [11]

Here are some important tips parents need to know about preventing eye injuries and first-aid for eye injuries if they occur.

Read more » [11]
[12]
Sports-Related Facial Fractures: Relatively Common But Preventable [12]

Nearly half of sports-related facial fractures among children occur in baseball and softball, says a new study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, many of which could be prevented if players wore face shields while fielding.

Read more » [12]
[13]
Sissu Mouth Guards: An Exciting Alternative To The Stock or Boil and Bite Mouth Guards Of Old [13]

Used to be that there were only three types of mouth guards: off-the-shelf (stock), boil and bite, and custom. Now, says Sassa Akervall, Chief Executive Officer of Akervall Technologies, there is a fourth, one which provides more protection, is lighter, allows a player to breath, and fits so snugly to a player's teeth that it doesn't need a tether.

Read more » [13]
[14]
Athletic Trainers' Group Issues Position Statement On The Use Of Mouthguards In Preventing Orofacial Injuries [14]

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.

Read more » [14]