The
training regimen for any Olympic athlete is intense, but getting oral health
into shape is usually not part of the routine. However, new research examining
the impact of 2012 Olympic athletes' oral health may now make the toothbrush as
important as athletic shoes.
The
study, led by Professor Ian Needleman of the University College London Eastman
Dental Institute, was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
He and
his team recruited 302 athletes in total from the London 2012 athletes' village
to take part in the study, which involved an oral health check-up and a
personal assessment of the impact oral health had on their quality of life and
athletic training and performance.
The
majority of the athletes were from Africa, the Americas and Europe, and they
represented 25 sports, with 34.9% from track and field, 14% from boxing and
11.4% from hockey.
Researchers
found that 55% of the athletes had dental caries, which is tooth decay. Of this
group, 41% of them had tooth decay into the dentine, which means it is reversible.
However,
more than 75% of the participants had gingivitis, which is an early stage of
gum disease, and 15% had signs of periodontis, which is an irreversible gum
infection.
Prof.
Needleman says:
"Oral
health is important for wellbeing and successful elite sporting performance. It
is amazing that many professional athletes - people who dedicate a huge amount
of time and energy to honing their physical abilities - do not have sufficient
support for their oral health needs, even though this negatively impacts on
their training and performance."
The
researchers note that many of the sportswomen and men who competed in the
London 2012 Olympics had poor levels of oral health that were similar to the
problems seen in the most disadvantaged populations.
Oral
health impact on training and performance
Athlete
running on an open road
The
researchers found that 18% of the 2012 Olympic athletes surveyed said poor oral
health affected their training or performance.
Almost
half of the Olympic athletes who took part in the study had not attended a
dental exam or hygiene appointment in the previous year, the researchers say,
and 8.7% of them had never been to the dentist.
The
proportion of athletes who said they were "bothered by oral health
issues" totaled 42%, and 28% said it affected their quality of life.
Additionally,
18% of the athletes said they believed poor oral health was affecting their
training or performance in a negative way.
Prof.
Needleman believes that an oral health assessment should be part of every
single athlete's normal medical care, adding:
"If
we are going to help them optimize their level of performance, we need to
concentrate on oral health promotion and disease prevention strategies to
facilitate the health and wellbeing of all our elite athletes."
Everyday
oral health
The
researchers hypothesize that links between oral health, wellbeing and
performance may be due to pain from oral disease, as well as inflammation and a
decreased self-confidence.
They
point to previous studies' findings that athletes have poor oral health, which
could be linked to frequent carbohydrate intake and reduced immune function
from intensive training.
Prof.
Needleman told Medical News Today that the mechanisms behind the impact on the
Olympians' performance could also be relevant for the general public:
"Clearly,
pain and discomfort from tooth decay, dental erosion, periodontal (gum) disease
or infected wisdom teeth will affect performance. We see psychological impacts
from, for example, bleeding gums, bad odors and poor appearance.
These
have well-documented effects on confidence. It has also been shown that
infection in the mouth, for instance from periodontal disease, increases the
levels of inflammation in the rest of the body and this can impair performance
as well as increase risk of injury."
He also
said that these conditions are preventable through regular dental care and
general maintenance of the oral environment.
So,
whether you are an athlete heading to Rio for 2016 or a member of the general
public, picking up a toothbrush may improve your performance on the track or in
the gym.
medicalnewstoday.com
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