Athletes
face dental danger from
BBC

Athletes may risk losing
their teeth because they eat healthy diets packed
with carbohydrates, fruit and energy drinks,
dentists have warned.
They say such
substances can erode and decay teeth -decay rots
teeth until they break up, erosion wears them down
slowly until the patient is left with ugly stumps.
Dental erosion can
also be caused by eating disorders - to which
athletes are more prone than the general population
- when stomach acids are brought up during enforced
vomiting.
Dietitians, sports
specialists and dentists held a seminar on Friday to
discuss sports nutrition and dental problems - an
area dentists say is under-researched.
Emerging problem
"Tooth erosion
is a new problem that has only emerged in the last
few years," said Dr Alex Milosevic, a
consultant in restorative dentistry at Liverpool
University Dental Hospital.
"Erosion seems
to particularly effect the young, and athletes,
because of their diet, are also susceptible.
"Dentists need
to be educated about how to deal with sportsmen and
women and their special dietary requirements, while
sportspeople need to be aware of dental erosion and
decay."
But specialists
speaking at the seminar said that simply telling
athletes to avoid certain foods would not work,
because they needed them to maintain high energy
levels.
Top tips
Instead, they should
offer advice on how to consume more carefully.
For example, drinks
should be chilled and drunk quickly through a straw
to minimize erosion.
"Dentists can
play a significant role in helping athletes prepare
for sporting events," said Dr Bill Allen,
chairman of the British Dental Association.
"Anyone taking
part in sports should have a check up at least six
months before an event, because a dental problem can
seriously undermine sporting performance.
"Athletes
are often perfectionists, and with the right
encouragement they are likely to attend to their oral
health as much as their general health."
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