Dental caries and related factors in a group of young Swedish athletes

The European Association for Sports Dentistry, Academy for Sports Dentistry, European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians consensus statement on sports dentistry integration in sports medicine

Sports medicine has a multidisciplinary character which allows different medical specialties to investigate the prevention, etiology, and treatment of athletes' diseases. This leads to a decreased risk of injury and a faster return to play as well as an improvement in the overall health and well-being of athletes of any level and in all sports around the world. The oral health of athletes is now the subject of great attention internationally because of the increased prevalence and incidence of health issues such as dental caries and erosion, periodontal disease, defective occlusion, temporomandibular joint disorders, and orofacial injuries. Scientific evidence and research on these issues have also intensified over recent years. The best way to maintain player's health and performance is to include oral health in sports medicine with physicians and dentists working closely together at the individual level as well as with the cooperation between local and international sports medicine and dentistry associations. The European Association for Sports Dentistry, the Academy for Sports Dentistry, and the European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians are leading the way and have worked together to develop a consensus statement describing the main pillars of oral health integration into sports medicine based on the most common oral diseases found in athletes and linked to exercise, sports, and performance.

Sports drinks hazard to teeth

OBJECTIVE

To determine the dental hazards associated with sports supplement drinks by investigating the chemicophysical properties of eight brands of sports drinks.

METHODS

The pH and titratable acidity against 0.1 M NaOH was measured. Calcium, phosphate, and fluoride concentrations and viscosities of Carbolode, Gatorade, High Five, Isostar, Lucozade Sport Lemon, Lucozade Sport Orange, Maxim, and PSP22 were determined.

RESULTS

The pH values of the drinks ranged from 4.46 (Maxim) to 2.38 (Isostar) and therefore were below the critical pH value (5.5) for enamel demineralisation. Both Lucozade varieties had high titratable acidities (16.30 ml 0.1M NaOH to neutrality) with Gatorade, High Five, and Isostar displaying intermediate titratable acidity, although Isostar had 74.5 ppm calcium and 63.6 ppm phosphate. The fluoride concentration of all drinks was low, and none of the drinks was particularly viscous (range 3.1-1.4 mPa.s).

CONCLUSIONS

The chemicophysical analyses indicate that all the sports drinks in this study have erosive potential. However, drinks with higher pH, lower titratable acidity, and higher concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and fluoride will reduce this erosive potential.

Dental injuries, temporomandibular disorders, and caries in wrestlers

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of dental injuries, temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and dental caries in a group of champion wrestlers. Twenty-six male wrestlers, with a mean age of 23 yr, and an age-matched control group participated in the study. A questionnaire was used with questions on trauma, frequency of headache, intensity of practicing sports, use of sugar-containing "sports drinks", use of mouth guards, and previous TMD problems. Four bitewing radiographs were taken in all subjects. In addition, three intraoral apical radiographs of maxillary and mandibular frontal regions were taken in the wrestlers. The number of existing teeth, dental caries, amount and type of restorations, and dental injuries were recorded. Examination of the stomatognathic system comprised bilateral palpation of the masseter and temporal muscles and temporomandibular joints, and evaluation of the mandibular movements. None of the subjects had drunk sports drinks or worn mouth protectors regularly. The wrestlers had more frequent and severe dental injuries localized to the frontal region of the maxilla than the controls. No statistical differences were found in the prevalence of caries or TMD between the groups.