Perceptions of Chandigarh sports coaches regarding oro-facial injuries and their prevention.

Enthusiastic participation by the younger generation in sports exposes them to a high risk of injuries. In the present study, the perceptions of sports coaches regarding their knowledge and experience of such injuries is evaluated. The coaches considered helmet as the most common protective device followed by mouth guard and facemask. About 58% observed that boxing was associated with oro-facial injuries and protective devices were deemed mandatory by 68% in this event. About 45% saw over five injuries in the last year, mostly soft tissue facial injuries (47%) and tooth loss (33%). Most injuries were in hockey and 32% were due to hits by ball, stick or related hard objects. About 82% were related to nonuse of protective devices. The majority of coaches considered that oro-facial devices be made more popular among sportspersons for their safety while 28% felt they reduced efficiency. The author concludes that there is a need to popularize the use of oro-facial protective devices in a variety of sports events in our country by interacting with coaches, sports administrators and sportspersons as well as familiarizing the Indian dentists in this relatively new field.