Sprains and influenza likely won't be the only medical challenges facing Olympic competitors in the next few weeks. Some athletes may also be plagued with damaged braces, protruding wires and sore mouths.
But for the first time in Olympic history, an orthodontist is officially part of the Olympic medical team.
Orthodontist Gerald Poulsen will join specialists from other medical disciplines to minister to ailing athletes, officials and their families.
Though he'll continue to work out of his Taylorsville office, he's a phone call and a TRAX ride away from the Olympic Village's polyclinic, where care will be provided.
During the Nagano Games, six athletes experienced orthodontic problems, ranging from broken wires to a damaged appliance. When the Games were in Los Angeles, several athletes had to visit the University of California-Los Angeles health facilities because no one on the medical team dealt directly with orthodontics.
"My goal is to relieve pain and swelling," said Poulsen, who added that no one's quite sure how many Olympic athletes have braces or dental appliances, although it's well-known that about 20 percent of the patients orthodontists treat are age 18 and older.
With more than 2,500 athletes from 85 countries, he's sure some will need his expertise.
"We just want to get the guys back on the hill so they can compete. We don't want (an orthodontic emergency) to be the difference between winning and losing."
The mouth and all the irritating things that can happen to it will occupy a number of members of the medical team, not just Poulsen. Dentists and dental assistants will be on hand at the round-the-clock polyclinic, run by the University of Utah, and at the venues. Oral surgeons are part of the medical team appointed by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, too.
Besides the excitement of being part of the Olympics, Poulsen hopes the experience "will give us a chance to collect up-to-date statistics about braces and appliances," including problems that occur during athletics.
It may also give him a peek at orthodontic practices that are different because they originate far away, although in his 32 years as an orthodontist, he said, "I've seen as many different kinds as probably anyone. They're basically pretty standard. The difference is what individual orthodontists do to them."
If he does find something unfamiliar, he plans to call on his colleagues for help. "I don't ever hesitate to do that."
Because he's a first for the Olympics, he's had to predict what he'll be treating.
"I'm setting myself up for loose brackets and broken wires," he said. "I won't be doing a lot of orthodontics as such. I don't want to change the treatment plan for someone."
He's also ready to repair broken appliances or send more complicated jobs to a lab that has volunteered to help out.
Poulsen is a member of both the 13,500-member American Association of Orthodontists and an international group. He's represented the Rocky Mountain region on the Council of Membership, Ethics and Judicial Concerns in the national organization for seven years.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com