EVALUATION OF THE ORAL HEALTH CONDITIONS OF VOLLEYBALL ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Introduction Dental care can improve athletes’ performance, promoting oral health and preventing changes that could disrupt their sports routine. Objective To evaluate the dental conditions, habits, and oral health care of volleyball athletes, and their knowledge of the importance of oral health in sports performance. Methods Sixty-four male athletes participated in the study: 40 from the basic categories (16 ± 3 years) and 24 professionals (25 ± 5 years). For the assessment of oral conditions, changes in the temporomandibular joint, history of facial and dental trauma, and the presence of malocclusions and orthodontic treatment were verified. Hygiene was measured by the visible plaque index. To determine the athletes’ oral hygiene, they were asked how many times per day they brushed their teeth, flossed their teeth, or used oral mouthwash. Finally, we evaluated the athletes’ opinions concerning the importance of oral health and sports performance. Data analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s Exact tests, with a significance level of 5%. Results For most of the parameters evaluated, similar results were found between professional and baseline athletes (p&gt; 0.05). However, for the parameters “flossing” (p = 0.0027) and “facial/dental trauma” (p = 0.0444), significant differences were observed (p &lt;0.05) between the categories of athletes. Conclusion We conclude that professional athletes are more prone to facial/dental trauma, and that the presence of a dental surgeon to assist the team improves athletes’ overall oral health. Level of evidence II; Retrospective study.摘要 引言：口腔护理可提升运动员运动表现，促进口腔健康，并预防可能干扰其训练与赛事日程的口腔状态变化。 研究目的：本研究旨在评估排球运动员的口腔状况、口腔卫生习惯与口腔保健行为，以及其对口腔健康与运动表现相关性重要性的认知水平。 研究方法：本研究共纳入64名男性排球运动员，其中40名来自基础组别（年龄16±3岁），24名为职业运动员（年龄25±5岁）。口腔状况评估内容包括：颞下颌关节（temporomandibular joint）病变情况、面部与牙齿外伤史、错（牙合）畸形（malocclusions）的存在与否，以及是否接受过正畸治疗（orthodontic treatment）；口腔卫生状况通过可见菌斑指数（visible plaque index）进行评估。为了解运动员的口腔卫生习惯，研究人员询问了其每日刷牙、使用牙线及口腔含漱剂的频次。最后，本研究评估了运动员对于口腔健康与运动表现相关性重要性的看法。数据分析采用曼-惠特尼检验（Mann-Whitney test）与费希尔精确检验（Fisher’s Exact tests），显著性水准设定为5%。 研究结果：在多数评估参数中，职业运动员与基础组别运动员的检测结果无显著统计学差异（p>0.05）。但在"使用牙线频次"（p=0.0027）与"面部/牙齿外伤史"（p=0.0444）这两项参数上，两组运动员间存在显著统计学差异（p<0.05）。 研究结论：本研究结果显示，职业运动员更易发生面部/牙齿外伤，且随队牙医的介入可有效改善运动员整体口腔健康状况。 证据等级II级；回顾性研究。