Eugene Cheung admitted that his role as on-site dentist at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens keeps him as busy on the field as it is off the field.
Cheung started working at the tournament in 2017 after a colleague, who had previously held the job but decided to switch careers, recommended him to the Hong Kong China Rugby Union.
With his experience covering matches at Hong Kong Stadium and Kai Tak Stadium, Cheung revealed that players are generally aware of dental safety, but cases of off-field dental injuries occur almost every year.
“The players are very good in terms of (protecting against) dental injuries during the Sevens. They are all very disciplined with their mouthguards, so thankfully, there have been no major dental incidents in the Sevens,” said the veteran dentist, who earned his bachelor’s degree in dental surgery at the University of Hong Kong.
“We still see occasional chipped teeth and chipped or broken teeth. Fillings come out and need to be checked and patched. Jaw cracking has occurred, but it was easily reduced on site.”
Cheung added that due to the speed of the Sevens and the need for quick adjustments, some players were sent to Crown Dental Studio, his practice since 2017, after the tournament to complete the necessary dental procedures.
