For most people, it’s an easy assumption: The more you exercise, the better. But could more exercise be a bad thing?
A new study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports reveals that vigorous exercise could actually undermine your health in a surprising way–by increasing tooth decay.
Researchers from the dental school at University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany led the research.
“We had thought sports drinks and nutrition might have the most detrimental influence on dental decay,” says Cornelia Frese, a senior dentist from the University Hospital Heidelberg. “Instead, it was the changes in saliva during exercise that differentiated the athletes’ mouths from those of the control group. Since saliva “has a very protective function” for teeth, having less of it or a chemically different version during exercise could be problematic. The clinical investigation comprised oral examination, assessment of oral status with special regard to caries and erosion, saliva testing during inactivity, and a self-administered questionnaire about eating, drinking, and oral hygiene behavior.”
The research, which was first reported this week, examined people of varying athletic ability, from triathletes to those who exercised casually, all of whom were around age 35. Frese then had them undergo a full oral examination at the dental school, including collecting their saliva for analysis. Participants also told researchers about other habits that could exacerbate their risk for cavities or other dental problems, such as drinking sports drinks or having poor dental hygiene.
Then researchers looked at their saliva and rate of tooth decay–and found a strange but consistent finding. For those who exercised vigorously, such as the triathletes polled in the study, their saliva was dramatically different from those who did not exercise vigorously. Further more, it seems those with “different” saliva shared something also in common: They had more tooth decay.
“All we can say is that prolonged endurance training might be a risk factor for oral health,” says Frese. “Among athletes, a significant correlation was found between caries prevalence and the cumulative weekly training time. Whether less frequent or intense exercise would likewise affect oral health is uncertain but unlikely.”
How You Can Stop Tooth Decay
Now that the verdict’s out, do these results mean it’s time to stop working out? Not necessarily, according to Frese.
“Still there are a few precautions that anyone who exercise and has concerns about their oral health might want to take,” says Frese. ” Higher risk for dental erosions, exercise-dependent caries risk, and load-dependent changes in saliva parameters point out the need for risk-adapted preventive dental concepts in the field of sports dentistry.”
For instance, Frese recommend upping your water intake during workouts to increase hydration, which may offset the negative effects of vigorous exercise. Being more strict with your hygiene habits, such as flossing and brushing regularly, can also help, says Frese.
“More generally, brush and floss, as you know you should,” says Frese.
Readers: If you exercise often, how good is your oral health? Do you think there is a connection?
Source:
Is Exercise Bad For Your Teeth – NYTimes.com
Effect of Endurance Training on Dental Health, Caries, and Saliva – NIH.gov
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