The athletes of today, particularly those who venture in to the world of endurance sports, must adhere to a very strict training schedule. Their diet, and their training, is nearly all-encompassing, and leaves them with little time for vice.
Dentists worldwide, including your experts at North Ryde Macquarie Park dental, would expect this care for their physical well-being to translate in to most aspects of their life, but a recent study suggests otherwise. Recently, a British journal reported a study that focused on the oral health of these endurance athletes, and people were very surprised by what they found.
Of the sample that was taken, a full 49% of those surveyed suffered from undiagnosed oral decay. A full 77% were experiencing the onset of symptoms of gum disease, including puffy, red, swollen gums, easily prone to bleeding. For a group that valued its health to this degree, this was surprising, to say the very least.
It has been speculated that the high carbohydrate dietary requirements might be to blame. Fuelling an athlete to this degree requires a lot of food, and carbs break down in to sugars as they are eaten coating the teeth. This can easily lead to a greater instance of cavities in the mouths of these athletes.
The atypical air intake could also be a contributing factor. As these athletes are obliged to breathe more heavily during their training and competition schedules, they may often suffer from a drier mouth than their peers. This has been shown to result in a more alkaline mouth, a reality that has been shown to be linked to cavities. The research, however, continues.