Sports mouth guard importance Published Oct. 15, 2010 By Staff. Sgt. Justin Jones 341st Medical Operations Group MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Five million teeth are knocked out each year during sports activities. Wearing a properly fitted mouth guard or sports guard during contact sporting activities can protect your teeth. Ninety-five percent of football concussions are transmitted through the jaw to the brain. A concussion is a head trauma-induced alteration in mental status that may or may not involve loss of consciousness. Mouth guards serve as shock absorbers and lessen the contact between the upper and lower jaws during trauma. Dental injuries are the most common type of oral facial injury sustained during participation in sports. Forces to the teeth and jaws are distributed evenly when a mouth guard is worn, preventing concussion injuries. An athlete on average is sixty times more likely to sustain damage to their teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard. Athletes involved in contact sports have a 10 percent chance of an oral facial injury each season. A mouth guard will reduce the rate of concussion by preventing the lower jaw hinge from being forced into the base of the brain at impact. The use of a mouth guard is encouraged in all contact sports. To remain effective as Air Force Global Strike Command warriors, be responsible for your overall oral and neurological health by wearing a sports guard when participating in full contact sports and recreational activities. For more information about what options are available to help prevent sports injuries, call the dental clinic at 731-2511.