GAA mouth guard move welcomed

The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has welcomed the decision by the GAA to make it compulsory for players to wear mouth guards in football games and training.

The recent GAA Congress passed a motion making it mandatory for juvenile players up to minor grade to wear mouth guards from the start of 2013. The rule will come into effect for senior players from the start of 2014.

“Anybody who is playing contact sports without a mouth guard is being irresponsible,” said Dr Maurice Quirke of the Irish Dental Association. “It’s like going on a motorbike without a helmet. Players are important role models for children so it is particularly important that they back the move.”

IDA figures indicate Ireland has one of the highest rates of sport-related oral injuries in the EU — one third of all adult dental injuries are sports-related. In many sports such as rugby and hockey the wearing of gumshields is the norm with nearly all clubs adhering to a ‘no gumshield, no game’ rule, according to the IDA.