A study from the Faculty of Dentistry shows that athletes with poor oral health have a greater risk of suffering muscle injuries and experiencing decreased performance.

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario A study was conducted that reveals that professional athletes who tend to have poor oral health are more likely to suffer muscle injuries and poor athletic performance.

The research team consists of Conrado Borgatello, Damián Testoni, Soledad Viani, Judith Palomino, Janina Mateu Gagliardi, Ada Karina Molinas, Héctor Masía, and Silvana Beatriz Rosso.

“There has always been a myth in dentistry, one of many, that athletes with cavities were more prone to tears. I thought of consulting a kinesiologist who works with high-performance athletes, since controlled monitoring of training and nutrition was necessary. That's how the research team was formed,” explained dentist Soledad Viani.

Viani emphasized that there is little prior research worldwide addressing this relationship and that few clubs comprehensively manage the health of their athletes. “The only precedent we had was a study conducted at FC Barcelona, ​​where they have long been interested in the holistic care of their players. Boca Juniors and River Plate have adopted a similar approach, with sports academies within their clubs, but few actually have this infrastructure,” he noted.

The analysis showed that, in the presence of periodontal disease, the relationship between inflammation and muscle problems intensifies. “All the chemicals derived from gum inflammation are responsible for what happens in the muscle, and one of the clearest effects is the accumulation of lactic acid. Based on these results, we decided to conduct the study here,” he explained.