A MOUTHGUARD POLICY FOR SPORTS MEDICINE AUSTRALIA highlights a commitment to safe play in sports that might cause injuries to the head, face or teeth. In season time for high contact sports, such as hockey, AFL and NRL, is a good time to consider a customised mouthguard to reduce the risk of dental trauma.

Dental injuries are often dealt our during sports training and participation, and a mouthguard offers the best protection for the head, jaws and teeth on field. 

A mouthguard policy has been developed in line with Sports Medicine Australia that indicates the role of customised mouthguards in absorbing and distributing the forces of sudden impacts to the face. Without a mouthguard these can result in serious injury to the mouth and jaws, with lengthy and complex treatment and costs that are far greater than the cost of a mouthguard. 

The Mouthguard policy is a commitment to the operating policy of every sport in Australia. 

1. Mouthguards are mandatory and to be worn by all players during training and games.

2. Club operate a strict No MOUTHGUARD, No play policy without exception

3. Coaches and managers actively check all players for compliance and remove non complying players from training and games until they are able to comply. 

Few sports in Australia mandate that mouthguards should be worn during training sessions and games, in spite of the many benefits of mouthguards and their ability to reduce the incidence of severe dental trauma. Increasing numbers of sporting organisations recommend that mouthguards are routinely used, and Hockey Australia is distributing welcoming mouthguard resource packs to every player. This is a wonderful step that ensures players are aware of how serious dental injuries from high impact blows to the face can be and the realisation that wearing a custom and professional fitted mouthguard is a necessary addition to a sporting kit. A double laminate mouthguard made by your dental professional is an excellent protective device for the teeth, jaws and mouth during sports that may contact the face and cause injuries. These take around a week to make and come in an amazing array of 34 billion colour combinations available!