To help keeping you safe while you enjoy the sport you love we want to provide you with a custom fabricated sports mouthguard for your upper jaw in your school colors red and black. The mouthguard will be fabricated in a material called Ethylene Vinyl Acetate in 4mm thickness.

In collaboration with CBHA, your dentist Dr. Kotschai Hemat will work with you in the framework of a public health project, which includes a pilot study. For participation in the study, we ask you to complete one survey before and one survey after you receive your new mouthguard.

All Othello High School students playing sports during winter (wrestling, basketball, drill team and cheer team) are eligible.

Athletic mouthguards are horseshoe-shaped covers fitting over teeth and are worn during sports to provide cushion and thus protection from oral injuries.

Generally, we know about three types of mouthguards:

• Ready-made/ stock mouthguard
• Mouth-formed "boil and bite" mouthguard
• Custom-fabricated mouthguard (made by your dentist)

We also have the option not to wear a mouthguard at all, if it is not mandated, but that is at our own risk.

Although the custom fabricated sports mouthguard is the most expensive option, this type has many benefits compared to other mouthguard types.

A study showed that custom made mouthguards fabricated by dentists offer improved comfort and wearability. Some other advantages are exact and proper fit, better speech, least interference with breathing, better retention and protection. This type of mouthguard is individualized to your dentition and surrounding tissues and it stays in place comfortably and securely. The custom fabricated athletic mouthguard is effective in reducing the risk of orofacial injuries.

Some of the risks playing sports without mouthguards include:

Broken or lost teeth, traumatic brain injuries/concussions, soft tissue injuries like lacerated lips and cheeks, avulsion of teeth, injuries to your temporomandibular joint, jaw injuries like fractures and dislocations, tooth intrusion and tooth extrusion.

Prevention is always better then treatment. Many injuries can be prevented when wearing a sports mouthguard, which is proven by many studies. A 2019 systematic review showed that individuals who did not wear a mouthguard had more than twice the increased risk of orofacial injury compared to mouthguard users. Another study was performed including 70,936 college basketball players. Players who were wearing custom-fitted mouthguards had a five times lower rate of dental injuries compared to players who did not use mouthguards.

Evidence suggests that mouthguard users are between 82% and 93% less likely to suffer dentofacial injuries. The American Dental Association (ADA), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American College of Prosthodontists recommend using mouthguards during contact and collision sports.

Although mouthguards are recommended for a lot of sports, they are not mandated for most, so that many children and adults are unprotected.

We recommend to consider the risk of injuries to your mouth and face and to choose wearing a sports mouthguard accordingly.

Our original price fabricating one custom-fitted mouthguard by a dentist is usually $240. Because we enjoy the opportunity to give back to our community we will provide all Othello High School students playing winter sports with a mouthguard at no additional charge.

Potential general risks of wearing mouthguards include: allergies to dental materials like (alginate, ethylene vinyl acetate etc.), breakage of mouthguard, improper fit, difficulty breathing or speaking due to improper fit, swallowing mouthguard. Additionally mouthguards can feel uncomfortable and hard and with possible irritation of gums there is a greater risk of infection. It is also important to wear the mouthguard after brushing and on clean teeth, because wearing it after consuming sugars can increase the risk for caries.

Participating in two surveys before and after mouthguard delivery is necessary to complete our study. We will collect and publish the data but student information will remain confidential. To ensure your medical safety and health, we will measure your blood pressure prior to the appointment and request information about your medical history including allergic reactions to previous dental treatment or dental materials.

Approval of your guardian (if eligible) and informed consent are also required prior to get the treatment started. We encourage you to send us a team picture wearing our mouthguards in your school color.

For questions, concerns or additional information please contact your dentist Dr. Kotschai Hemat

E-mail: kotschaih@cbha.org