My bet is because athletes don’t have real jobs and the medical/dental coverage that comes with a real job.
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.
At first, I thought the survey was of all Olympic athletes. It must have been of English athletes only. :-)
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.
My guess is that the vast majority of the athletes examined came from countries other than the U.S.....I don't know how many Brits I've seen on TV that have absolutely ugly teeth.....
Note that the standards used are those of Britush dentists!
P.S. Dental care is part of the UK socialized health care. You can often tell a Brit by his teeth.