Ready at Rinkside, This Dentist Keeps the Devils Smiling

As an assistant dentist for New Jersey's NHL team, a Rutgers professor stands by on game nights, poised to treat injuries and get players back on the ice

On home game nights for the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Shyam Shah isn't watching to see who scores. He's watching out for dental emergencies.

Shah, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine's Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, holds a unique role blending sports and dentistry.

"We're required [by NHL] to be at every game," said Shah, an assistant team dentist for New Jersey's National Hockey League team who works with Jason Schepis '02, the team's primary dentist. He has been with the team since 2019. "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, who covers about half of the home games every season for both the Devils and visiting teams, became interested in dentistry because it combined everything he liked: working hands-on with people while employing a bit of engineering with health care. He enrolled at Rutgers for his dental degree, followed by a general practice residency at the Monmouth Medical Center and an oral surgery internship at the School of Dental Medicine.

That internship proved pivotal: While taking trauma calls in the emergency room at University Hospital in Newark, 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 Shah to the Devils when they were searching for a general dentist experienced in trauma.

"I was one of the few who had that combination," said Shah, noting his internship experience.

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," he said. "It was the one sport I was always interested in and was the easiest 'yes' I ever said."

During the games, Shah remains ready to address injuries - from a loose tooth to a fractured jaw or a deep facial laceration.

"Their injuries are a true accident," Shah said. "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 moments. The challenge is to stabilize an injured player during the 15-minute break between periods.

Once an injury happens, Shah has a dental chair at the Prudential Center that he can get players to in moments. The challenge is to stabilize an injured 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 [on ice]," Shah said.

With the clock ticking, the doctors work as a team.

"When I'm suturing, the physicians assist me," Shah said. "When they're suturing, I'll assist them. It's dentists and physicians working together to get the patient back out there in those 15 minutes."

Although sports dentistry is a niche field - one Shah learned more about after joining the Devils - he encouraged those interested in this line of work to volunteer with local teams, youth leagues or schools.

Shah said he often guides students interested in pursuing similar paths to pay forward the experiences he had through his mentors at Rutgers and the Devils.

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