Ann Arbor, MI — July 21, 2010 — Seventy-five amateur athletes came to the U-M School of Dentistry July 10 to be fitted for customized mouth guards. Many of the student athletes will use their mouth guard while playing football, soccer, or other sports during the fall and winter. Fifteen dental students and 10 faculty members and local dentists volunteered their time to participate in the program.

Among those who were fitted were three women belonging to a newly formed roller derby league in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area.

 

“Roller derby is probably the only full-contact sport for women in the area, so it was important to come to get a customized mouth guard,” said Vikki Allen, 47, who was accompanied by her 21-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

Marcus Edmondson, junior class principal at Ann Arbor Huron High School, brought three members of his family, including his 12-year-old son, Marcus, a wide receiver who plays in the Washtenaw Junior Football League. The younger Edmondson returned for the third year to be fitted for a mouth guard. “I brought him and others in my family to this clinic because it’s a great opportunity for him and others to be fitted with something that’s comfortable and that works,” Edmonson said.

Another participant in the same league, 13-year-old Matthew Psychas, agreed. “I came back because they’re good mouth guards,” he said.

Members of a local taekwondo club were also fitted. Club leader Naji Husseini said he has been fitted for a customized mouth guard at the School of Dentistry in the past. “Taekwondo is a contact sport, so I make sure everyone who participates in our club knows about the clinic and is fitted, because the mouth guard provides a much needed cushion, not just during contact, but when you’re falling.”

Dental Students Enthused

Dental students said they enjoyed volunteering and participating in the annual program.

“The mouth guard clinic mixes two of my best interests, dentistry and sports,” said second-year dental student Anna Pogoncheff. “I’m so passionate about the clinic because it’s a low-stress forum to practice important clinical skills and raises awareness among athletes about the importance of wearing a mouth guard.” Pogoncheff added that as a basketball and water polo player, “my mouth guard saved me from many chipped teeth and concussions over the years.”

Chad Wert, a third-year dental student, said participating in the clinic “was a great experience. Not only was it great seeing the excitement on the faces of the kids when they received their mouth guards, but it was also great to give something back to the community. It lit a spark in me to continue doing volunteer dental work after I graduate.”

Third-year dental student Kristin Ellsworth said this was the first time she participated in the summer clinic. “I helped make mouth guards for the Special Olympics last winter and had such a good time doing that, that I wanted to participate in the summer program.”