Oral Health and the Impact on Sports Performance
A study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the impact of athlete's oral health on their performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
I have previously posted on the link between oral health and overall health several times. It has been pretty well established that poor oral health is connected to poor overall health, as seen in the link between heart disease and dental plaque. This new study elaborates on that link, focusing on how poor oral health may be connected to sports performance.
The researchers performed a cross-sectional study on 302 athletes from 25 sports with the athletes coming mostly from Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Poor oral health was found to have substantial effects on the athlete's well-being, training, and performance.
Most athletes demonstrated high levels of dental caries (cavities), periodontal disease, and dental erosion with 40% claiming it was bothersome, 28% reporting it influenced their quality of life/well-being, and 18% stating it significantly effected their training and performance.
Not only is oral health linked to and indicative of poor overall health but can have detrimental effects to high performing athletes.
Source: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/09/24/bjsports-2013-092891.abstract
R. Eric Emery, DDS
Morgan A. Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
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