Mouth Guard Policy
Policy Statement: All registered players within the KMHA boundaries must wear a mouth guard during all sanctioned activities including the following:
- Conditioning camps
- Selection/Evaluations
- Pre season, league, play off and tournament games
- Practices.
- Off-ice activities (i.e. dry land training involving helmets/sticks)
Player Definition: Will include all of the following
- IP to Juvenile players
- All goal tenders
- All genders
Exceptions: Any players (i.e. mouth breathers, braces etc) who cannot conform to this policy must provide a letter from their dentist or doctor specifying the rational for not abiding by this policy. Both the player and his/her legal guardian(s) will be required to sign a release/waiver acknowledging that they understand the risk of not complying with this mouth guard policy.
These two (2) documents must be completed before a player engages in any on ice activities. Team officials (coach/trainer) will be required to manage this documentation and to have both available for review as required by on ice officials.
Exceptions to this policy must be highlighted on the game sheet.
Recommendation: Any player IP to Atom may use either a custom fitted intra oral mouth guard or a boil and bite model. All players Peewee to juvenile should wear a custom fitted intra oral mouth guard. Although there are no requirements of colour, it is recommended that it not be red, translucent or clear in color. Mouth guards should provide not less than two (2) millimetres of shock absorbent thickness between the rear teeth of the upper and lower jaw of a player. Mouth guards do not need to be tethered to the facemask.
Maintenance: Because a player’s mouth will grow over the course of a season, it is imperative that mouth guards be checked to ensure the fit correctly. Mouth guards that can no longer protect the player should be replaced. A mouth guard may need to be replaced every three months.
Enforcement: Any infractions will be dealt with as illegal equipment by on ice officials.
Questions / Comments Email: riskandsafety@kmha.ca
