Ready at the Rink-side

On New Jersey Devils home-game nights at the Prudential Center, Shyam Shah isn't watching the puck to see who scores. He's watching for injuries. 

Shah is an assistant professor in Rutgers School of Dental Medicine's (RSDM) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department and an assistant team dentist for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. He holds a unique role blending sports and dentistry. 

"We're required to be at every game," he explained. He works with Jason Schepis, the primary team dentist, and covers about half of the home games every season. "Hockey is the only sport that really needs a dentist at hand because most of the other sports are wearing full face protection. Due to the speed in hockey, there's just a lot more potential for injuries." 

Shah became interested in dentistry because it combined everything he liked—working hands-on, a bit of engineering, health care, and working with people. He enrolled in RSDM for his dental degree, followed by a general practice residency at the Monmouth Medical Center and an oral surgery internship at RSDM. 

That internship proved pivotal. While taking trauma calls in the emergency room at University Hospital, Shah treated facial trauma cases. "I don't think you can really get that kind of hands-on experience anywhere else," he said. "It made me very prepared." Around that time, his mentor and department chair, Vincent Ziccardi, connected him to the Devils when they were searching for a general dentist experienced in trauma. "I was one of the few who had that combination," he said, mostly because of his internship experience. And hockey was a perfect match. "My dad is a huge hockey fan and used to take me to a lot of games as a child, so it was the one sport I was always interested in and was the easiest 'yes' I ever said." 

During the Devils' games, Shah remains ready for anything—from a loose tooth to a fractured jaw or deep facial laceration. "Their injuries are a true accident, " Shah explained. "At that level, players are incredibly controlled. Their awareness and reflexes are amazing. "

Once an injury happens, Shah has a dental chair at the Prudential Center that he can get players to in 30 seconds. But the challenge is to stabilize the player during the 15-minute break between periods. "Because each player is a specialist in the position they play, it's very important for the team to get them back," he explained. With the clock ticking against them, the doctors work as a team, too. "When I'm suturing, the physicians assist me. When they're suturing, I'll retract for them," Shah said. "It's dentists and physicians working together to get the patient back out there in those 15 minutes."

Though sports dentistry is a niche field—one Shah only learned about after joining the Devils—he emphasizes that involvement can start anywhere. Volunteering with local teams, youth leagues, or schools can open doors. The Academy for Sports Dentistry is another way to find peers and mentors. Shah often mentors students interested in pursuing similar paths, too, as a way to pay forward the experiences he found through his mentors at RSDM and the Devils. 

"My dad used to take me to hockey games," Shah said. "Now I get to bring him, bring my family. It feels like everything came full circle."

The RSDM vs. New Jersey Medical School annual charity hockey game is on April 10 at 7 pm in the RWJBarbanas Health Hockey House in Newark, supporting St. Jude Children's Hospital. General donations can be made here. There will also be an auction with three items from the Devils: an autographed Jack Hughes photo, an autographed Nico Hischier puck, and an autographed Timo Meier puck. Bids can be made in person at the game or virtually by emailing the student organizer, Jake Frontera, at jf965@sdm.rutgers.edu.