Footballers could be left with a bad taste in their mouth following a poor performance – but not for the reasons you might expect.
Players from top clubs including Manchester United have poor dental health, which affects how well they play, researchers say.
Almost four out of 10 professional footballers have dental cavities, while one in 20 has irreversible gum disease.
Others suffer infections, while many experience regular toothache, the study, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found.
You’d be forgiven for now suspecting Chelsea’s lack of bite this season might not be entirely Jose Mourinho’s fault.
The study involved 187 footballers from eight clubs – Hull, Manchester United, Southampton, Swansea City, West Ham, Brighton and Hove Albion, Cardiff and Sheffield United.
The footballers were typically aged 24, although they ranged in age from 18 to 39.
This poor level of dental health affects footballers’ performance and wellbeing, and the sport “urgently” needs to promote better dental care, experts behind the research said.
The dental health of footballers appears to be worse than for the general population, though experts have yet to pinpoint the exact reasons why.
Many footballers drink sports drinks several times a week, although evidence is “unclear” on whether this is to blame.
Six dentists checked the tooth and gum health of every player – equivalent to more than 90% of each senior squad – and each footballer was asked about the impact of dental health on their personal and professional lives.
Almost three-quarters of players (73%) had been to the dentist within the past 12 months and 22% reported a history of trauma to their teeth or face due to the sport.
Some 64% of players said they drank sports drinks at least three times per week, while 5% used tobacco, mainly smokeless or chewing tobacco.
Overall, 84% of all footballers had at least one decayed or filled tooth.
Dental “erosion”, where the tooth is worn away by acid, was present in 53% of footballers, while 77% of footballers had half of their mouth affected by gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). In 5% of footballers, this was moderate to severe and irreversible.
More than 45% of footballers said they were “bothered” by their oral health, with 20% reporting an impact on their quality of life and 7% reporting an impact on training or performance.
Some teams had worse teeth than others, suggesting there is a role for preventing tooth decay and introducing formal screening in clubs, they said.
“Few teams integrate oral health promotion within overall medical care, and there is therefore lack of ongoing support and reinforcement of this health area for the athletes,” they wrote.
“Oral health of professional footballers is poor, and this impacts on wellbeing and performance. Successful strategies to promote oral health within professional football are urgently needed.
“Furthermore, this study provides strong evidence to support oral health screening within professional football.”
Source: http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/footballers-poor-dental-health-might-be-affecting-their-performance-study-suggests-11364014346702
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