Exploring the intersection of oral health and athletic performance

The International Olympic Committee World Conference on Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sport, held every three years, is the premier international conference for sport and exercise medicine and science with 1100 delegates attending. The diverse conference faculty represent the pre-eminent international authorities in injury and illness prevention. UCL Eastman Dental Institute was well represented with five research presentations and an invited workshop linking oral health, sport & physical activity and general health & performance. There was substantial interest in the integration of oral health and the alignment with the United Nations sustainable development goals 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 10 (reduced inequalities).

• Professor Jacopo Buti: “Oral Health Status and Physical Fitness in Law Enforcement Workers “.
• Dr Peter Fine: “Is there a link between the increased consumption of sports drinks and dental decay in elite athletes”? 
• Professor Ian Needleman: “Acute effects of intensive physical activity on saliva biomarkers of health protection. A systematic review and meta-analysis”.
• Dr Julie Gallagher: “Dental pellicle modification to prevent dental erosion in athletes”.
• Dr John Haughey: “Do athletes and their sports medicine team know when to replace a mouthguard”?
• Professor Needleman and Dr Gallagher:  Workshop: “The easiest marginal gain is a smile:) Oral health for sports medicine”.

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  Further information

• Main image (left to right) UCL Eastman: Dr John Haughley, Dr Peter Fine, Dr Julie Gallagher, Prof Ian Needleman and Prof Jacopo Buti

• UCL Eastman Centre for Oral Health and Performance