Trail Mix | Why elite athletes’ breath smells – ultra runners love to load up on sugar, but what is it doing to their oral health?
- Gels, Coke, energy bars and chocolate might be great for a boost on the trails, but they can lead to tooth decay and gum issues
Elite athletes, unfortunately, have terrible teeth.
Think about all the drinks and foods you ingest over the course of a trail run or ultramarathon. Cans of soda such as Coca-Cola and Fanta. Sports drinks such as Pocari Sweat, Gatorade and Tail Wind. Energy bars, energy gels and chocolate. It all adds up to a lot of sugar – necessary for the calories and energy kicks, but perhaps not so great for our teeth.
That is what researchers at the University College of London's Eastman Dental Institute have found in a study that surveyed 352 Olympic and professional athletes across 11 sports, including cycling, swimming, rugby, football, rowing, hockey, sailing and athletics. As part of the study, published in the British Dental Journal, the researchers provided the male and female athlete subjects with dental check-ups measuring tooth decay, gum health and acid erosion.
First, the good news. The athletes in the study generally were found to have good oral health-related habits. Ninety-four per cent of the elite athletes in the study reported brushing their teeth at least twice a day, 44 per cent reported regularly flossing – both numbers are substantially higher than the general population, which averages 75 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. The vast majority of athletes also do not smoke and have a healthy diet, as one would expect.
Now for the not-as-good news. Nearly half of all athletes in the study had untreated tooth decay, most showed early signs of gum inflammation, and almost a third said their oral health affected their training and performance negatively.
