A recent study has revealed that Inspite of brushing twice elite athletes are highly prone to oral disease. Published in the British Dental Journal, the study involved a survey of 352 Olympics as well as professional athletes across 11 sports like swimming, football, hockey, rugby, athletes and sailing. The study also highlighted that the athletes seemed quite interested in working around the improvement of their dental health.
The study involved a dental checkup and questions around how the athletes kept their teeth, mouth as well as gums healthy. The study showed that 94% of the athletes brushed their teeth minimum two times a day and 44% flossed their teeth on a regular basis. They study also found that the athletes did show higher figures in terms of dental care compared to the general populace.
Researcher for the study Dr Julie Gallagher (UCL Eastman Dental Institute Center for Oral Health and Performance found that most of the athletes maintained good oral hygiene. But, they did mention the use of energy gels, sports drinks as well as bars on a frequent basis during training and competition. These products are high on sugar and raise the risk of decay of teeth and erosion due to rise in acidity.
The study is a further to the research carried out by Professor Ian Needleman of London 2012 Olympics. The earlier findings revealed that the athletes suffered from dry mouth issues while training and even were at a higher risk of oral conditions.
As per Dr. Gallagher, the athletes wanted to work towards improvement of their oral health and were ready to use mouthwash based fluoride additionally and also visit the dentist on a regular basis. The team further plans to devise an oral care plan for them and publish the results of it too.
*Sourced from Internet
RRDCH is one of the Best Dental College and Hospital in Bangalore