Brighton and Hove Albion players have taken part in a study that found footballers are suffering from above average rates of tooth decay partly because they have too many sports drinks.
The study found that the oral health of professional footballers was poor and impacting on wellbeing and performance.
More than 90 per cent of Albion’s senior squad took part in the research carried out by the Centre for Oral Health and Performance at the Eastman Dental Institute at University College London.
The results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The Eastman Dental Institute said: “Of 187 players examined and questioned, 37 per cent had active dental decay, 53 per cent dental erosion and 5 per cent moderate to severe and irreversible gum disease.
“Furthermore, 45 per cent were concerned by their oral health, 20 per cent reported an impact on their quality of life and 7 per cent on training or performance.
“The findings suggest an urgent need for new strategies to promote oral health within the professional game.”
The research was led by Ian Needleman. Professor Needleman said: “The involvement of these clubs was fantastic in what is the first study of this size and scope to collect comprehensive oral health data from players.
“Although the severity of oral ill-health varied from team to team, overall we found that a significant percentage of our top footballers are affected by dental decay, tooth erosion and gum disease, much of which is preventable.
“But while these findings are worrying, we are pleased that clubs such as West Ham are already embracing the findings and building on their existing interventions by placing oral health care at the forefront of their medical agenda.
“We hope that other teams follow their lead and introduce robust oral health screening and promotion as a routine element of their programs.”
For the research dentists checked the tooth and gum health of more than 90 per cent of each senior squad at Albion, Manchester United, Southampton, Swansea City, West Ham, Hull City, Cardiff and Sheffield United.
The average age of the players was 24. Each footballer was asked about the impact of dental health on their lives. Despite attendance for dental check-ups, oral health deteriorated with age.
As well as sugary sports drinks the authors also found a lack of awareness among players about dental health and hygiene. They also often had dry mouths after training or playing whereas saliva helps oral health.
Among the acknowledgements, the authors thanked club medical staff including Dr Helge Riepenhof at Albion.
Tonight (Tuesday 3 November) the players are due to get their teeth into Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
