Hong Kong Sevens’ dentist kept on his toes by fans just as much as players
Eugene Cheung revealed that his most memorable cases had occurred separately off the pitch, involving a coach and an overseas spectator
Eugene Cheung admitted that his role as the on-site dentist at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens keeps him just as busy on the pitch as it does off the pitch.
Cheung started working at the tournament in 2017 after a colleague, who had the job previously but decided to change speciality, recommended him to the Hong Kong China Rugby Union.
With his experience covering tournaments at Hong Kong Stadium and at Kai Tak Stadium, Cheung revealed that the players are generally pretty aware about dental safety, but off-the-pitch dental trauma cases happen almost every year.
“The players are remarkably good in terms of [protecting against] dental trauma during the Sevens. They are all quite disciplined with their mouthguards, so thankfully, there have been no major dental incidents at the Sevens,” said the veteran dentist, who obtained his bachelor of dental surgery degree at the University of Hong Kong.
“We still routinely see tooth concussions and cracked or fractured teeth. Fillings pop out and need to be checked and patched up. Jaw dislocation has happened, but it was easily reduced on site.”
Cheung added that due to the fast nature of the Sevens and the need for quick fixes, some players were referred to Crown Dental Studio, his own practice since 2017, after the tournament to complete the required dental procedures.