Are your patients who are active in sports protecting themselves from facial injuries? National Facial Protection Month (April) is an ideal time to educate your patients and community about the importance of mouth guard use. National Facial Protection Month is sponsored by the AAO, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Academy for Sports Dentistry and the American Dental Association.
Resources that AAO members can use to promote facial protection in their practices and communities are located in the Facial Protection Month section of aaoinfo.org/members and include:
▪ New statistics from a 2017 AAO study of 1,000 U.S. parents whose children play organized sports are available under Facial Protection Month Media Outreach Materials (in Key Messages for National Facial Protection Month). The statistics are ideal for media interviews about mouth guards and facial protection, or to share on social media.
▪ A new infographic about the three types of mouth guards, and pros and cons of each, is available in Facial Protection Month Stock Photos. It may be used when doing a local television interview or provided to a newspaper or news website. You may also use the graphic on a practice website/social media outlet.
▪ Social media content: Like/follow AAO social media during April and share facial protection items that will be posted throughout the month. Channels include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (click on each linked outlet name to access AAO content).
▪ An updated press release template that may be customized for local media outreach, using your name as a source, is now available under Facial Protection Month Media Outreach Materials. Customize and submit to local media outlets or adapt as a blog or social media post.
▪ The handout “When Do You Need a Mouth Guard?” is available for download as a flier and poster. It is available under Facial Protection Month, “NFPM Posters/Handouts/Fliers – Create an Office Display.” *
The educational flier is a black-and-white piece sized at 8.5” by 11”. The poster is full color and comes in three sizes: 8.5” by 11”, 11” by 17” and 22” by 34”.
▪ The educational flier “Prevent Accidents but Know What to Do If One Occurs” also appears under Facial Protection Month, “NFPM Posters/Handouts/Fliers – Create an Office Display.” *
The flier offers first aid suggestions in the event of a broken, injured or knocked-out tooth. It may be downloaded, customized with your contact information, and given away to coaches and others who work with youth sports teams. It may also be useful for school nurses.
▪ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheets, including one in Spanish, address concussion and other sports injuries. They are linked for download under Facial Protection Month Fact Sheets.
* If a copy and print service will be printing a poster or flier, be sure to download the AAO Permission to Print letter that is linked on the NFPM Posters/Handouts/Fliers – Create an Office Display page. The letter will meet printers’ requirements when printing copyrighted items from the AAO website.
