Maxillofacial and dental ice hockey injuries

Abstract

Maxillofacial and dental ice hockey injuries in Finland were studied during 1979 to 1985. A total of 6,885 accidents occurred to registered players between 1979 and 1982, and 791 (11.5%) of them affected the maxillofacial and dental regions. There were 1,401 separate injuries during the same period, 1,184 of which (84.5%) affected the teeth. The most common cause of accidents (in 54.1% of cases) was a blow received from a stick. Maxillofacial and dental injuries accounted for 38.0% of the total cost of all ice hockey injuries. The mean cost of maxillofacial and dental injuries was over 3 times as high as that for ice hockey injuries as a whole. The use of a mandatory full-cage face mask greatly reduced the number of maxillofacial and dental injuries and hence the cost of treatment.