Prevention in Sports Dentistry

 [bib_ref] Nutrition et sant e bucco-dentaire du sportif, Hausswirth [/bib_ref] [bib_ref] Mouthguards in sport activities: history, physical properties and injury prevention effectiveness, Knapik [/bib_ref] [bib_ref] Effects of experimental horizontal mandibular deviation on stepping test of equilibrium function, Karasawa [/bib_ref] 

## Scope
This policy statement aims to provide information to promote the integration of oral care into sports medicine, to stress the importance for all athletes of achieving and maintaining optimal oral health, as well as to emphasise the role of dentists in oral health care and prevention.

## Definition
Sports dentistry: An interest area of dentistry dealing with the promotion of oral health in sports and prevention and treatment of pathologies and injuries of the stomatognathic system related to sports and exercise.
Stomatognathic system: The anatomic and functional system comprising the teeth, jaws, associated soft tissues, facial muscles, and temporomandibular joint.

## Principles
Microbial or functional stomatognathic pathologies are often preventable. Therefore, promoting oral health and good oral hygiene practices in the earliest stages of sports practice (eg, in school, grassroots clubs, and sports academies) is essential. Regular dental or oral health screenings integrated with general health assessments of both elite and amateur athletes, no matter their skill level or classification, are highly valuable so that early detection of any oral issue can be fostered.

## Policy
FDI has the following recommendations for sports organisations:
Communicate the substantial evidence of the relationship between oral health and general health to all their members, from the most junior to the most senior. Communicate the importance of good oral health in order to maintain athletes' overall health and well-being. Encourage schoolchildren and amateur and elite athletes to adopt healthy oral hygiene, nutrition, hydration, regular dental checkups, and injury prevention behaviours. Encourage collaboration amongst sports clubs, federations, institutions, and sports medicine centres at local, national, regional, and international levels to promote prevention, research, surveillance, and monitoring of oral health and related health factors and to support education in the field of sports and dentistry. Stimulate interactions between their medical staff and dentists by encouraging regular medical and dental checkups amongst their members/athletes. Initiate common strategies with national and international sports federations, foster the integration of sports dentistry into sports medicine, and incorporate dentists as members of the sports medical team.

## Fdi recommends that dentists and sports physicians:
Include questions related to the type of sports their patients are practising and how often in the medical questionnaire. Inform all athletes, elite or amateur, about the importance of good oral health for optimum performance, about the impact of sports on oral health, and about the relationship between oral health and general health. Collaborate when managing an athlete's health. Include oral health as part of the athlete's general health checkup and ensure they seek appropriate dental care. Systematically provide advice on prevention to all athletes, including oral hygiene and preventive measures, benefits of well-balanced diets, knowledge of the acidity of sports drinks and risk to oral health, regular oral health checkups, good nutrition, appropriate hydration, the use of customised mouthguards when participating in contact or combat sports, and the detriments of alcohol and tobacco consumption. Regularly update their knowledge of the metabolism of prescribed medicines and potential interactions that may result in the athlete's noncompliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency regulation.
FDI recommends that all athletes (amateur and elite):
Wear a custom-made mouthguard when engaging in contact and combat sports, even if only participating in the sport occasionally. Understand that poorly fitting mouthguards offer poor protection.
Avoid consequences of sports activities on their oral health by following specific recommendations of oral health professionals.

## Disclaimer
The information in this policy statement was based on the best scientific evidence available at the time. It may be interpreted to reflect prevailing cultural sensitivities and socioeconomic constraints.