THE Health Promotion Department in association with the Western Health and Social Services Board invite all sports coaches to a Dental Trauma and First Aid Awareness training session to be held on Thursday, February 15, from 7 to 9pm, at the Bawnacre Centre, Irvinestown.

It is known that as many as 1 in 12 children participating in contact sports will have suffered damage to one or more of their permanent teeth before the age of 15 and that boys are more likely to have a tooth knocked out than girls.

This can lead to problems such as pain and mal-alignment of teeth and longer term difficulties such as loss of self-esteem and speech defects.

The training, therefore, aims to target all coaches but especially those involved in contact and combat sports where dental injury is a possibility. The main aim of the training is to promote the use of mouth guards during sport and to educate coaches on how to save a tooth that has been knocked out. The session also highlights areas of responsibility of which all coaches should be aware – particularly their duty of care to their players.

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance and dental trauma first aid kit for their club. The training is free of charge and refreshments will be available.

This initiative has been kindly supported by Fermanagh District Council.

Places are limited but all sports clubs and coaches are asked to give this initiative their full support. To book a place or for further information, please contact Lorraine Kane at the Health Promotion Department, Westcare Business Services on 71865127.