Intra-oral Mouth-Guard In Sport Related Oro-Facial Injuries: Prevention is Better Than Cure!

India is rapidly assuming a more health-conscious posture. Olympic competition and professional sports have turned from mere dreams into goals. Many major professional sports leagues are expanding. Sports dentistry is a composite of skills for treatment, prevention, education and research in which dentistry and sports come together. Custom athletic mouth guards present additional health-care opportunities. They are designed to reduce the impact force of a direct blow to the jaw and create a gap between the condyle and skull thereby reducing the transference of the impact to the brain. The prevalence and severity of injuries to the teeth, jaws and intra-oral and peri-oral soft tissues, concussions and neck injuries are reduced when mouth guards are used. The dentist can play a proactive role in helping to deliver important expanded health care services.

Rehabilitation of Patient with Acquired Maxillary Defect, using a Closed Hollow Bulb Obturator.

Palliative care means providing support and care for patients with life-threatening or debilitating illness so that they can live their life as comfortably as possible. The fact that cure is no longer a reality does not mean that care cannot be made available. Partial maxillectomy defect presents a prosthodontic challenge in terms of re-establishing oronasal separation. Such defect has direct effect on cosmetic, function and psychology of the patient. This article describes step by step clinical and laboratory procedures involved in the rehabilitation of a hemimaxillectomy patient, using a definitive closed hollow bulb obturator, which improved his physical, emotional, functional, social and spiritual needs.