Staff from UCL Eastman’s Centre for Oral Health and Performance, were delighted to join members of Team Sky last week, as part of on-going research into the links between oral health and performance.
Professor Ian Needleman, research lead, and Dr Julie Gallagher, presented ‘Gob in a Bag’ oral health kits to the team, including Chris Froome, Vasil Kyrienka and Lars Nordhaug.
The comprehensive kits include key advice tailored to elite athletes, based on the best existing evidence.
This current study continues work started by UCL Eastman at the London 2012 Olympic Games1. It aims to provide comprehensive and representative data on elite athletes in Olympic Sports, professional football and rugby union.
Over the past few months Centre staff have met athletes and support staff from GB cycling, GB swimming and GB rowing.
Professor Needleman said: “The importance of good oral health to elite sportsman should not be underestimated, with one in five Olympic athletes in our London 2012 study reporting an impact on performance2.
“We continue to be impressed with the readiness of athletes to accommodate us into their busy training schedules and assist with the research.
“The enthusiasm with which they have engaged with our oral health kit has been fantastic and we look forward to receiving feedback about how useful the kits have been.”
Interested in oral health?
Last week also saw the launch of the Centre’s new Oral Health in Sport Network, set up to connect athletes, dentists, sport clinicians, scientists and others interested in oral health and sport.
The Network will develop a community of clinicians, researchers, and scientists with an interest in oral health and sport. To be part of the growing community and to join the conversation, please sign up online.
Following the success of the 2014 conference, Oral Health and Performance in Sport; Learning from London 2012, the Centre also organises meetings to share knowledge and expertise with high quality research collaboration at the core of its activity.
Visit the Centre’s website to find out more about the Network and our research follow @oralhealthsport on Twitter.
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1 http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/09/24/bjsports-2013-092891.abstract
2 ibid.
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