THE EFFECT OF ENDURANCE TRAINING ON DENTAL HEALTH STATUS: COMPETITIVE VERSUS NON-COMPETITIVE ROWERS

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of endurance training on dental health status, and to determine any difference between competitive and non-competitive rowers.

Method: The study population was composed of 45 volunteers: 25 competitive rowers (test group) and 20 noncompetitive rowers (control group) who were the members of Galatasaray Rowing Team in the 2016 season. Volunteers had an oral examination by the same dentist. Dental status was evaluated using decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMF-T). Also, dental erosion was evaluated by using the BEWE Index. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data including hours and frequency of weekly training, eating habits and intake of sport and energy drinks, tooth-brushing habits and dental attitude. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Marmara University. Data obtained during the survey were stored in a database (SPSS 21) and tested for possible statistically significant differences using the Mann Whitney U test and Chi-square test. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The rowers mean age was 15.4 years (range11-18), and the mean sports career was 3.3 years. All the competitive rowers practiced every day and the majority of their practice was for more than two hours. Furthermore, 16(80%) of the non-competitive rowers practiced more than two days every week, and 15(75%) of them practiced for one hour each day. The mean DMF-T score was 2.6 (D:1.5, M:0.1, F:1.0). Moreover it was 2.8 in competitive group, and 2.4 in non-competitive group. The DMF-T score was not statistically significantly different between competitive, and non-competitive groups. Thirty eight (84%) of rowers did not drink energy drinks, and 35(77%) rowers did not drink sport drinks. Dental erosion was not observed in both groups.

Conclusion: There was no difference in the dental health status of young competitive and non-competitive rowers in the Galatasaray Rowing Team. One reason that endurance training had no effect on tooth decay and erosion might be attributed to the young age of the rowers and their short sport careers.