Kayla Vedral

Oral health is a vital component of health in athletes. The fields of health, dentistry, and sports medicine come together in order to understand oral health to a higher degree. Oral health is important to one’s overall physical, mental, and social wellness. Maintenance of the oral cavity (including teeth, gums, and tongue) can allow for success in other areas. Oral health is very important for individuals whom are in the profession of sports. The nexus that oral health and sports share demonstrate that there is a close correlation between the athlete, performance, and success rate. Findings state, that oral health in association with athletes is in poor condition for the overall stereotype of a typically healthy and prosperous human being.

Oral health has great impacts to one’s overall primary care and quality of life. Dentistry is a sub-branch of medicine that is involved in the treatment and prevention of the oral cavity and its components, however there is little knowledge on how teeth play a bigger impact in overall health of an individual. This is especially true for athletes of all divisions whether collegiate or professional. With the many hours that these athletes train, having oral health problems will be exhibited in practice. Nutrition, environments, level of knowledge, and salivary flow during exercise are some of the common factors that lead to poor oral health in athletes.