LONDON, UK: Though elite athletes generally possess an enviable level of physical fitness, a recent study has shown that their oral health may leave much to be desired. According to researchers at University College London (UCL), almost one in two elite British sportspeople suffer from dental issues that could be detrimental to their performance.
The study collected information on more than 350 British athletes from nine Olympic sports, including rowers and swimmers, as well as Reading Football Club, cycling’s Team Sky, and English professional rugby teams. Each athlete underwent oral health screening to assess his or her levels of dental caries, tooth erosion and periodontal disease, as well as completed a questionnaire about the impact of oral health on his or her competitive performance and quality of life.
Though 97 per cent of the participants said that they brushed their teeth twice a day—higher than the 75 per cent reported by the general population—49 per cent were found to have untreated caries and 77 per cent signs of gingivitis.
“Every sport examined revealed significant levels of oral ill-health with the overall risk of tooth decay being higher for an elite athlete than the general population,” said Prof. Ian Needleman, from the Centre for Oral Health and Performance at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, who co-led the study.
“Nutrition in sports is heavily reliant on frequent carbohydrate intakes, which are known to increase inflammation in the body and gum tissues.”
“In sports where there is a lot of airflow, such as cycling and running, breathing hard can make the mouth dry so teeth lose the protective benefits of saliva.”
Needleman added that the stress of racing and performing was an important risk factor for poor oral health. “Some athletes [report] vomiting before every race as a result of pre-competition anxiety,” he said.
The research builds upon prior studies on oral health in professional footballers and in athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The findings were presented in Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the recent EuroPerio, a triennial congress focused on research in the fields of periodontics and implantology.
Tags:
DUBAI, UAE: Improved medical care has led to a higher life expectancy for individuals with Down’s syndrome, resulting in an increased need for dental care...
HELSINKI, Finland: Scientists have previously identified obesity and increasing age as risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Some scholars ...
LONDON, UK: Various studies have found that poor oral health may impair training and athletic performance. A recent study has examined oral health ...
MELBOURNE, Australia/LONDON, UK: It is widely known that poor nutrition is a risk factor for frailty. Similarly, the link between nutrition and oral health ...
DURHAM, N.C., U.S.: In a recent study, researchers from Duke University in Durham have found that the walking speed of 45-year-olds can reveal a ...
BELÉM, Brazil: Television can often play a key role in determining what foods people purchase, thanks to its high concentration of food product ...
WARSAW, Poland: There has long been a debate around what constitutes excessive time spent on devices and the adverse health effects of this. In a new study ...
SAN FRANCISCO, US: Physical intimate partner violence (IPV) can be especially detrimental during pregnancy and is a significant public health issue, having ...
ATLANTA, U.S.: Poor oral health and hygiene are known risk factors for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Researchers have now found that poor oral health...
FUKUOKA, Japan: According to new research from Japan, elderly people with poor oral health constantly ingest oral microbial populations that are more ...
Live webinar
Thu. 18 July 2024
8:00 pm EST (New York)
Live webinar
Tue. 6 August 2024
6:00 pm EST (New York)
Live webinar
Tue. 13 August 2024
7:00 pm EST (New York)
Live webinar
Wed. 21 August 2024
9:00 am EST (New York)
Dr. Jim Lai DMD, MSc(Perio), EdD, FRCD(C)
Live webinar
Wed. 28 August 2024
8:00 pm EST (New York)
Live webinar
Mon. 2 September 2024
5:00 am EST (New York)
Live webinar
Tue. 3 September 2024
11:00 am EST (New York)
To post a reply please login or register