Simple oral health steps help improve elite athletes' performance

That's according to a new study led by UCL that found small steps such as using high fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between teeth helped.

The new research, published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, is the latest in a series of studies led by the UCL Centre for Oral Health and Performance (COHP), based at UCL Eastman Dental Institute, which have found that elite athletes have substantial rates of oral disease, including tooth decay and gum inflammation, and these symptoms negatively affected their wellbeing and sporting performance.

To help address this, researchers at UCL COHP designed a behavioural change programme aimed at better educating elite athletes about oral health and providing some simple interventions to improve their daily oral health routines.