Posted on 09/29/2013 12:50:56 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Athletes may have some of the fittest bodies in the world but a new study has found they also have really bad teeth.
Tests were carried out on 302 participants at the London 2012 Olympics and found athletes had poorer dental health than people in other occupations of the same age.
Just over half of those examined had signs of cavities, three quarters were suffering from gum disease and 45 per cent showed evidence of tooth erosion.
‘Our data and other studies suggest that, for a similar age profile, the oral health of athletes is poor. It’s quite striking,’ said Professor Ian Needleman, who is lead researcher for the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The University College London academic added athletes’ teeth problems may be the result of high sugar energy drinks.
This coupled with the lack of time given to dental care due to the pressures of training may have caused poor oral health, the professor argued.
Some athletes have even blamed their bad teeth for poor performances in the past.
My bet is because athletes don’t have real jobs and the medical/dental coverage that comes with a real job.
Interesting.
More likely they are so preoccupied with training for their sport that other, more mundane, areas of their lives get neglected.
At that age do you really need dental “coverage” or just good habits?
Socialized medicine is the cause,i believe dental is considered cosmetic so it’s not covered.
I hate to say this but DUH! This is an easy one. They do not have diets or supplements that include vitamin K2. Their skeletons take a lot of stress and the little k2 in their bodies probably goes to the stressed points. Teeth are probably at the back of the line.
Athletes need 4x a year vitamin d3 testing and adjusting their blood levels to keep them over 60 at least. K2 needs to be supplemented along with the D3. They need to keep testing because sometimes they are getting sun and sometimes not, etc.
because toothpaste and mouthwash doesn’t come in a Gatorade bottle?
At first, I thought the survey was of all Olympic athletes. It must have been of English athletes only. :-)
Dental is probably most important of all when it comes to general health. Bad teeth and gums cause all kinds of diseases. We both know that.
You guys who all immediately think dentists give you good teeth are missing the point. Dentists can repair (and sometimes make a lot worse) problems, but tooth health comes strictly from diet and home care.
There is an excellent book to help you by Ramiel Nagel. I forget the exact title but look it up. Something to do with healthy teeth. It will teach you how to heal your own cavities. It works; I’ve done it. Adding fat from healthy animals - meat and dairy - supplementing with k2 etc.
What is K2?
Perhaps Professor Needleman only studied the British athletes.
Bad teeth are just one of the those hallowed British traditions like roast beef, steak and kidney pie, football(soccer to us) and old school ties(one’s chums from school).
See post #15.
Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin K
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php
YES...what YOU said!
My bad it is covered but their is a severe shortage of dentists.
I was born in Ireland and a checkup once a year was standard,my first visit to a dentist was at the age of 25,for some reason a teeth check up was not encouraged.
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