At any level of competitive sports, every second counts to deliver a positive result.
When, with 48 hours to go, the Kenyan Rugby team needed 28 mouthguards to compete in the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy in Edinburgh, there was only one solution – get in touch with Dr Fiona Davidson, Practice Principal at Clyde Munro’s SmilePlus Dental Care and Implant Centre, the official dentist of the Scottish Rugby Union since 2009, and King Leung, dental laboratory technician at SmilePlus.
The U20 Kenyan Rugby team took the near 5,000-mile trip to Edinburgh to compete in the tournament, organising logistical needs for 28 players, alongside support team, coaches, managers and physios. Fundamental parts of kit – such as rugby boots and mouthguards – were simply not available within the budget.
Storm Trentham, founder and CEO of DBA Africa, a social enterprise group helping to fund and grow youth sport in Africa, contacted her former Wales lacrosse teammate Dr Anni Seabourne, England Rugby team dentist, looking for help – she, in turn, went to Dr Davidson.
The Kenyan team arrived in St Andrews late in the afternoon on 28th June, and the race against time began.
Jim Hall, CEO and Founder of Clyde Munro, met the squad the next afternoon and was delighted to offer the dental group’s support for the Kenyan team. Dr Charlie Evans, a Clyde Munro Regional Clinical Support Manager, began the process of scanning players’ dentitions for their mouthguards, with the help of Dr Callum Graham, Chief Clinical Officer and Head of Advanced Dentistry at Clyde Munro.
The scans were passed onto the SmilePlus laboratory, and dental technician King Leung and Dr Evans were able to turn around 28 custom fitted mouthguards, each sporting the Kenyan Rugby Union logo and flag, within just 48 hours. The technology available and the hard work of the Clyde Munro team meant that the players could take to the field against Uruguay on 2nd July at the Hive Stadium, home of Edinburgh Rugby, with effective dental protection.
Leung and Dr Evans were invited along to travel with the Kenyan team and present the mouthguards to the players just minutes before their warm up.
Recounting the monumental task that was presented to him, Leung said: “At first, we thought it would be manic, but the reality was the scans were taken and emailed over to me on the Sunday. I had them designed, and they were being printed on Monday morning. As they were printing, they were readied to be pressure formed. So, we had printing, pressure forming and trimming at once, and it was a nice workflow.
“We were on the Kenyan team coach going into Murrayfield Stadium, and the atmosphere – they were hyped! There was music blasting on the bus, and everyone was in high spirits. It was exciting.”
The Kenyan team and management were extremely grateful for Clyde Munro and SmilePlus’ time and generosity in providing an essential piece of kit.
For SmilePlus Practice Principal Dr Davidson, the opportunity that dental professionals have to support sportsmen and women is fundamental: “My path to sports dentistry began with a love of sports from a young age.
“As I got older, I pursued a career in dentistry and, in 2007, set up SmilePlus Dental Care, just a short walk from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. The same year, I met James Robson MBE, the team doctor for the Scotland Rugby Union team and very quickly, we became their official dentists.
“We have a three-tiered approach to our sports dentistry strategy. Firstly, preventing dental disease in athletes. We encourage all of the athletes we treat to regularly visit so we can identify and treat any potential issues early, ensuring these don’t develop into anything serious that may affect their matches.
“Secondly, we specialise in creating high-quality, bespoke mouthguards. We have been providing these to the Scottish rugby team for over 12 years but have also supplied Team Scotland hockey players and boxers for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Custom-made mouthguards are key to preventing dental trauma and long-lasting damage.
“Finally, we provide pitch side general and emergency dental care to the Scottish rugby team during matches at Murrayfield. Thanks to the changes James and I have made, dentists are now classed as a key member of the medical team.”
With the help of Clyde Munro and SmilePlus Dental Care, the Kenyan U20 Rugby team were able to race to the try line with well-protected dentition.
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