Is it time to make Mouthguards compulsory for rugby players?

[dave_clark]

This is the first time I've been aware of people who choose specifically not to wear a mouth guard, and it is quite astounding to me! I have an opro one fitted by a dentist and it's brilliant (and actually reasonably priced).

i got one made, cost about 30 quid (when i was 17, so mummy paid for it). the following week i lost it. after that, i went back to the boil and bite ones.

And after breaking my nose playing squash I may end up wearing one then as well! Want to keep these gnashers lookin' good.

would a gumshield have helped your nose?

 

[Account Deleted]

... Also the risk of concussion is a very real and very dangerous one.

I'd really like to see the supporting evidence you have, that says mouthguards (and indeed current head gear) prevent concussion.


By: Andrew Livingstone News reporter, Published on Mon Mar 11 2013
Explore This Story

An athlete’s comfort that their protective equipment will prevent serious injuries may be their own worst enemy.

Mouthguards and helmets will prevent a number of sports injuries, particularly in hockey — but a report released Monday says they provide no protection against concussions

Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the report, born out of the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich, Switzerland last November, says players pose a risk to their own health when relying too heavily on equipment to keep them safe, especially helmets and mouthguards. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hocke..._helmets_dont_prevent_concussions_report.html

&

http://www.sportsdentistry.com/concussion.html

 

[Taff]

that's wierd because as kids I bet they wore them, and at the top level they might apsire to all the pros wear them. Odd that people are taking them out. Must be some kind of strange peer pressure?

Sorry, I should have been clearer. The District team are U15 schoolboys, so my guess is that the bulk of them have never worn gumshields. Sadly it's only when they cop a hefty bill for dental work or some pain they will start thinking of using them. Until then, they think they're indestructable. :frown:

 

[crossref]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. The District team are U15 schoolboys, so my guess is that the bulk of them have never worn gumshields. Sadly it's only when they cop a hefty bill for dental work or some pain they will start thinking of using them. Until then, they think they're indestructable. :frown:

do they wear them with their clubs/schools and then cast them off at district because 'no one else is' ?

at the clubs/schools I see, mouthguards are ubiquitous.

 

[KieranW]

i got one made, cost about 30 quid (when i was 17, so mummy paid for it). the following week i lost it. after that, i went back to the boil and bite ones.

If you had paid for it maybe you would have been more careful?

w
Would a gumshield have helped your nose?

Clearly not, but an inch or two lower and it would have knocked some teeth out. My nose was fixed on the nhs relatively easily, teeth wouldn't have been sorted so easily!

 

[OB..]

Clearly not, but an inch or two lower and it would have knocked some teeth out. My nose was fixed on the nhs relatively easily, teeth wouldn't have been sorted so easily!

I had my crown fitted on the NHS .... (I was a student at the time)

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

I had my crown fitted on the NHS .... (I was a student at the time)

The Student Prince?

 

[OB..]

The Student Prince?

If only!

 

[Taff]

do they wear them with their clubs/schools and then cast them off at district because 'no one else is'?

The vast majority just don't wear them anywhere; not at club, school or district.

If I'm honest, I think it's just vanity. :sad:

 

[colesy]

Clearly not, but an inch or two lower and it would have knocked some teeth out. My nose was fixed on the nhs relatively easily, teeth wouldn't have been sorted so easily!

I'm with KieranW on this one. I've broken my nose three times now and have all sorts of wobbly bits in there. One of those occasions was a hockey ball straight in the face which, if a couple of inches lower, would have taken out a number of teeth.

 

[Browner]

no sympathy, hockey is dangerous - hitting missiles at each other......... best avoided

 

[Browner]

mad policy, whatever next .......pupil breaks ankle in playground..form tutor liable for allowing 'play' without shoe inspection & failed to ensure grippy soles worn ....onus gone mad

 

[Account Deleted]

Surely it is personal choice when it is the player themselves that is at risk. Where other players are at risk then it becomes right for "the game" to make "H & S" rulings.

 

[Drift]

I always wore one. I think we bought one the same day we bought boots. Never played a game without one. Perhaps if you start wearing one from the very start you just get used to it and all the issues that have been raised do not occur?

I wore it from the start of my playing career at 6 up until 15. I then lost it and played a couple of games without one as I didn't have time to get a new one and then when I did get one I disliked it.

 

[buff]

mad policy, whatever next .......pupil breaks ankle in playground..form tutor liable for allowing 'play' without shoe inspection & failed to ensure grippy soles worn ....onus gone mad

I am not usually fan of the Nanny State nor of the rush to get a lawyer. It is a destructive trend, and either of the lawsuits the Greater Montreal Athletic Association is facing could easily bankrupt it and kill high school sports. Both are soccer related, btw. This is different. One of my boys losing his front teeth because I let him train without a mouthguard is not an accident. It is the preventable result of an unacceptable standard of practice on my part.

 

[crossref]

couple of arguments to toss into the pot --

1) If you took out dental insurance to insure your teeth privately, the insurer would require you to wear a mouthguard, to do your bit to reduce the chance of injury (here's an example). For those of you that are relying on the state (NHS) to pick up the bill for injuries, would it not be unreasonable for the state to similarly ask you to do your part by wearing one? This was the 'seatbelt' argument.

2) All the time ref said

Surely it is personal choice when it is the player themselves that is at risk. Where other players are at risk then it becomes right for "the game" to make "H & S" rulings.

the point here is that other players most definitely are at risk of injury from naked teeth. elsewhere in the thread I mentioned how a friend of mine dug a tooth out of someone's scalp after an accidental collision. That's a tooth and a scalp that would be saved by a mouthguard. And it's not just a cut - anyone who has been bitten knows that infection can often result.

 

[Browner]

.... or maybe the insurance co would exclude involvement in any sport that risks the 'insured parts'. .......... That ref's opinion?..... - as valid as my granny's ! ................ Does the RFU have statistics that show the huge extent of injury's caused by incisors? Probably a lower % than injuries caused by boots .... so lets wear slippers

 

[Browner]

One of my boys losing his front teeth because I let him train without a mouthguard is not an accident. It is the preventable result of an unacceptable standard of practice on my part.

Yep, parents can't abdicate or unilaterally assign their responsibility, if they are that concerned then they will stay & supervise their sibling & ensure he wears his mouthguard at all times, if they don't they are culpable - not the referee or the coach.

 

[Blackberry]

Entirely agree re; hockey, its just rugby with weapons.

Anyway, Browner is only getting all uppity because he never managed to find a mouth guard big enough.

 

[crossref]

.... or maybe the insurance co would exclude involvement in any sport that risks the 'insured parts'. .......... That ref's opinion?..... - as valid as my granny's ! ................ Does the RFU have statistics that show the huge extent of injury's caused by incisors? Probably a lower % than injuries caused by boots .... so lets wear slippers

your comparison with boots is interesting.

boots with studs are potentially dangerous
but players need studs

so we all accept that the IRB lay down laws that govern studs, and we inspect them every game, and routinely exclude dangerous boots.

naked teeth are potentially dangerous
players don't actually need naked teeth

so why not accept that naked teeth should be covered up.