Too Busy Training to Brush or Floss?

With the Sochi Winter Olympics now on, let’s hope the dental hygiene of competing athletes is better than athletes of the 2012 London Olympics.  According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine around 20% of athletes competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games had bad teeth.

Scientists from the University College London studied data on the competitors, and said that “for a similar age profile, the oral health of athletes is poor”. Lead researcher Professor Ian Needleman cited a range of factors including regular ingestion of sugary energy drinks, stress on the immune system from intense training as well as a “fixation on training, preparation and other aspects of health [which] may leave little time or awareness of oral health”.

The data was gathered from athletes who attended a free dental clinic at London 2012, which offered check-ups and mouth guards.

“Of the 302 athletes examined, from 25 sports, 55% had evidence of cavities, 45% had tooth erosion and 76% had gum disease,” the BBC reported.

Learn more on oral health with the education modules below.

Source: pharmacy.daily.com, Monday 30 September 2013