Parents are being reminded to always make sure their children wear properly fitting mouth guards when playing contact sports.

According to Dr Anne O'Connell, a consultant in paediatric dentistry and director of the Trauma Clinic at Dublin Dental University Hospital, one in five children and teenagers will experience a dental trauma, i.e. an injury to teeth, often as a result of an accident.

She pointed out that when playing contact sports, many children wear mouth guards that do not fit properly, which compromises their ability to provide effective protection.

"A good fitting mouth guard will cover all the teeth onto the gum and should not drop when speaking. Unfortunately too many children here are using ill-fitting mouth guards. For example many of the ‘boil and bite' type are not being heated appropriately and are failing to cover the teeth or are loose," she explained.

She also highlighted the fact that dental trauma does not just occur during sporting sessions.

"In Ireland, one in four pre-schoolers has a dental trauma and children who have had an injury or who have prominent teeth may also need to wear mouth guards depending on the organised activity. It's also important that toddlers who have had a dental trauma are assessed on an ongoing basis as their permanent teeth may be affected," she noted.

Speaking at the recent annual seminar of HSE dentists in Athlone, Dr O'Connell said that the estimated cost of treating dental traumas in children is between €8-20 million.

She insisted that this is an ‘important public health issue' and explained that the Dublin Dental University Hospital is currently carrying out a study to discover how much it costs to treat traumatic injuries to permanent teeth in children.

"As well as the basic financial cost, there are often psychological issues, lost school days and time off work for parents.

"The sporting bodies such as rugby, hockey and GAA all deserve praise for making ‘no mouth guard, no play' mandatory policy. Children who are very active in other sports or who have already had trauma should also wear mouth guards. Parents need to play their part and ensure their children have effective dental protection," Dr O'Connell added.