President’s Message

Oral and facial injuries in sports have long been a concern.  Dentistry began to address prevention and treatment of these sports injuries, which led to the rise of modern sports dentistry. A hallmark success was the requirement of mouthguards and face masks in high school and college football.  Facial injuries went from being half of football injuries to less than one percent. 

This progress was accelerated by the creation of the Academy for Sports Dentistry – ASD – in 1983.  ASD defines sports dentistry as “the branch of sports medicine that deals with the prevention and treatment of dental injuries and related oral diseases associated with sports and exercise.” This scope is large and multifaceted, with oral health being a key to overall health and performance.

As the profession looks to the future, there are opportunities and challenges, with the opportunities being far more abundant.  More dentists need to and can be better trained in sports dentistry, including both prevention and treatment. This is a serious matter. The volume of injuries of athletes to the face and mouth must be reduced.  Among youth, sports are responsible for 13% of all oral trauma. 

This challenge also presents an opportunity.  More dentists should be advocates of properly protective mouthguards.  Preventive measures should be used in all sports at the youth, high school, and college levels – especially ice and field hockey,  basketball, and lacrosse.  For sports with an elevated risk of orofacial injury, properly fitted mouthguards should be mandatory.  There should be greater promotion and use of sports dentists knowledgeable with prevention and treatment of orofacial injuries.   And the number of sports dentists must be increased.    

The future is truly now.  Now is the time to make needed progress.  The challenge and problem have long been defined.  Organizations like the Academy for Sports Dentistry (https://www.academyforsportsdentistry.org/) are committed to international progress.  Your involvement with sports dentistry would be welcomed and appreciated.  And it would be an invaluable service to your community, its athletes, and sports overall.     

Dr. Byron Blasco
ASD President