# Regular Physical Activity and Dental Erosion: A Systematic Review
## 4 Discussion
Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [29] determined the oral health status of elite athletes according to the performed sports type. The participants consisted of 186 elite athletes divided into individual and team sports (74 and 112, respectively). The athletes practising individual sports had higher DMFT values (especially decayed and missing teeth), corresponding with the worse dental hygiene level, compared to the team sports athletes. Additionally, they presented a tendency for more frequent erosion loss (68.9% vs. 55.4%, \(p\)-value 0.089). Both groups of athletes did not differ in the frequency and amount of consumption of energisers and sweetened beverages. However, the athletes in team sports consumed such beverages much more frequently during recovery (58.8% vs. 47.3%). Two studies dealt with diverse groups of athletes participating in the Olympic Games and disabled athletes participating in the Special Olympics. [PERSON] et al. [35] evaluated the oral health status in athletes participating in the London 2012 Games. The study participants represented 25 disciplines, with track and field, boxing, and hockey being the most common. Less than half of the athletes attended a dental check-up in the past 12 months. The assessed oral health status was unsatisfactory. A total of 55% of the athletes demonstrated active dental caries, 45% tooth erosion, and 15% periodontal disease. The majority of erosive lesions were grade 2 or 3 according to BEWE, and more frequently found on posterior teeth. No correlation was found between the consumption of sports drinks and the incidence of dental erosion. However, the effect of isotonic drinking frequency on the presence of erosion defects in anterior teeth was observed. In contrast, [PERSON] et al. [32] determined the presence and severity of erosive tooth wear in athletes with intellectual disabilities who participated in the Special Olympics Belgium 2016. The sample was organised into three groups: athletes with Down syndrome under the age of 25, older athletes with Down syndrome, as well as athletes with other intellectual disabilities. Over half of the young athletes with intellectual disabilities demonstrated at least one tooth surface affected by erosion. Among them, 10.5% showed the BEWE score equalling 3. Moreover, the young athletes with Down syndrome presented a significantly higher prevalence of dental erosion (69.2%) and a percentage of athletes with the high-risk level of erosive tooth wear (BEWE sum above 13 for 7.69%). Both the frequency and severity of erosive defects in the athletes with Down syndrome increased with age. The authors suggested that the possible reason for exacerbation of the severity of erosive lesions in DS athletes might be the combination between gastroesophageal reflux disease and bruxism. Additionally, they stressed the limitation of their study--the exclusively selected group of athletes with intellectual disabilities received regular medical and dental care, as well as being well-supported by their families. A few included studies concerned amateur physically active individuals. [PERSON] et al. [25] assessed the prevalence and potential risk factors for dental erosion in amateur athletes at running events. In the study, 108 amateur runners from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, participated. A total of 38.9% of the athletes regularly consumed sports drinks. Erosive lesions were found in only 19.4% of the runners. Surprisingly, the posterior teeth were more often affected than the anterior teeth, both in the maxilla (28.6% vs. 4.8%) and in the mandible (61.9% vs. 23.8%). The incidence of dental erosion was significantly associated with running frequency per week and time spent during competition. In contrast, the consumption of isotonic drinks was not shown to be related to the occurrence of erosion cavities. On the other hand, [PERSON] et al. [34] described the prevalence and severity of dental erosive wear among physically active young adults. Dental erosive wear was noticed in 64% of the participants exercising at a fitness centre twice or more per week.