Sports dentistry : a perspective for the future

In time where the words of Baron de Coubertin “ e important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle” to improve the athlete’s performance was not as much meaning these days where the important thing is to win. Depending on the sport practiced, milliseconds can make the podium and the health of the athlete now has vital importance. For this there was a great incentive for research to bring improvement in athletic performance, talent detection, care that result in breaking records, medals and trophies. With the results of these surveys Clubs, Associations and Institutions started to give due consideration to performance of their athletes thus providing its professional sta involved in the day to day of these in physiology, biomechanics, game analyst, nutritionists, physiotherapists, psychologists, doctors and dentists currently.  e role of dentistry in the sports is important, because it provides the athlete optimal oral health conditions which in turn can contribute to achievement of optimal performance during competitions. Sports Dentistry (SD) involves the prevention, maintenance and treatment of oral and facial injuries, as well as the collection and dissemination of information on dental trauma, in addition to stimulating research. It directs a duty of the dentist detect problems of the athlete, such as mouth breathing, poor positioning of the arches, and properly administer medications free of substances, that may provide the positive doping present in many painkillers.  e SD is still recent in Brazil, and the Federal Council of Dentistry (FCD) does not recognize the SD as a specialty and it is not included as a compulsory subject in the curriculum o ered at most universities. Among the di erent sports, there are those which the risk of injury due to the contact or impact can Abstract


Introduction
Sports dentistry: a perspective for the future CDD.20

Shares in sports dentistry
Observing the need for expanding and disseminating knowledge about this eld of dentistry, due to scarce studies about SD, the objective of this essay is de ne and discuss some published articles in this area, as well as the role of professionals, focused on the prevention methods and frequent risk situations that involve athletes.Six areas were categorized in this essay: shares in sport dentistry; oral health of athlete; sport-related dental implications; dento-facial trauma, face shields, and mouthguard.e history of SD in Brazil happens concomitant with the occurrence of some of the major sporting events and refers to the time of the World Cup Soccer 1958, when the dentist Mario Trigo accompanied Brazillian soccer team during this competition and consequently in the Cups of 1962 and 1966.In 1958, in Sweden, Trigo performed 118 extractions on 33 players.As a dentist of Fluminense Football Club, Trigo reports had observed that athletes who waited longer to recover of concussions were precisely those who had dental infection.After elimination of the infection, athlete's recovery was faster, optimizing treatment and facilitating the team squad 3 .
Until 1990s, there were few dental professionals working in the sports eld.Between 1992 and 1996, only 10 Brazilian soccer's teams, of a total of 42, has dental o ces in threes headquarters.Professional football institutions mostly lacked dentists working in conjunction with the coaching staff, using outsourced services, targeting more curative treatment in relation to preventive interventions 4 .
Aldo Forli Scocate was the dentist responsible for the oral health of Olympic athletes in 1992, performed 265 assistances.e average of 14.6 patients per day is high rate high for a delegation with just over 300 members.As a result of the treatment during the Olympics, there was an increase of psychological situation of athletes and the improved of muscle performance reacquired 4 .
The dental care at the Athens Olympics in 2004 was the second most searched service in the Olympics, behind only physiotherapy.e dental clinic was in the eld of medical care area of the Olympic Village, where 28 dentists treated 658 patients.e most common procedures were restorations (313 permanent and 31 temporary) and endodontic treatment.e second week of games was the period of greatest achievement of procedures 5 .
In Beijing Olympics in 2008, 80 dentists performed about 1600 treatments.As in the previous edition of the games, were held several restorations and endodontic treatment, with a large number of cases of pericoronitis treatment and mouthguards confection.When comparing the number of procedures crippling performed in Beijing Games with the 1968 Olympics, held in Mexico, there is a decrease in procedures such as tooth extraction, from 370 to 47 cases.is fact highlights the philosophy and acting of a minimal invasive dentistry, and more careful with the health of the athlete 6 .
e political interaction between unions, councils and associations, as well as discussions forums are relevant to cover the area of SD actuation.
e rst World Congress of Sports Dentistry and Dental Traumatology was held in Boston -USA, in June 2001.This meeting summarized the relationship between two international organizations: International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) and International Academy for Sports Dentistry (SDA), which decided to publish o cial journal Dental Traumatology 7 .Brazilian Dental Association (BDO) searchs for greater integration of the dentist in sports, and is the response of the bill PL 5391/2005, which de nes how the presence of standard dentist specializing in SD at a competition 8 .

Oral health of athlete
e high standards of performance required of athletes can only be achieved by an individual totally healthy.e time, e ort and money invested in realization of this maximum level of tness should not be jeopardized by preventable oral health problems, which occur before or during competition 9 .
To provide the best performance, it is important that the dentist make a detailed assessment of oral health status of the athlete to detect changes and pathologies such as dental malocclusion.If the athlete presents alterations in the occlusion can be significantly compromising the performance since it interferes with the e cacy of chewing, and subsequent digestion of food, thus impairing nutrient absorption.e loss of muscle balance, headache, temporomandibular joint problems, discomfort and stress can also be an imbalance occlusal 10 .
From 2003 to 2006, professional players of the Spanish football team Barcelona Football Club were compared with students of Dentistry and Medicine, University of Barcelona.e average active caries was signi cantly higher among professional football, adopting as justi cation that students are more sensitive / willing to dental treatment 11 .Agreeing with the increased risk of dental caries among soccer players, when approached female cast, 57% had the disease, demonstrating the importance of establishing a program of oral health from the health promotion related to the sport practice [12][13] .
e oral health problem a ects not only professional athletes, worsening among amateur athletes, as shown in a study that evaluated nearly 400 records of football players, with 353 amateurs and 47 professionals.
erefore, it's duty of the dentist active in SD conduct regular reviews to identify any changes and diseases and to promote health education.e duty of dentist is working with patients, identifying individual risks, whether physiological or modality, and develop prevention plans that are enjoyable to the feeding requirements of the athlete and lifestyle 15 .

Sports-related dental implications
Sports drinks, especially carbonated are often consumed by the population, mainly by professional athletes and amateur sports people, with the purpose of rehydration and electrolyte replacement during highly aerobic sports 16 .ese drinks have detrimental e ect on the teeth due to the low pH and the presence of citric acid in its composition, which can be potentially erosive for tooth tissue if consumed improperly and with high frequency 17 .
When the pH reached 5.5, the hydroxyapatite crystals begin to dissolve, so below this value the enamel is at risk of decalci cation 18 .Another negative e ect of the low pH of carbonated sports drinks is the potential of being harmful to the properties of the composites.An in vitro study concluded that energy drinks used a ected the color of composite resin restorations evaluated after a period of six months' 19 .
Swimming athletes are a ected with biocorrosion enamel because the pools are chlorinated to reduce bacterial contamination and algae.Although a low pH can cause irritation in the absence of appropriate glasses, excess chlorine in the water.It can not be detected by swimmers, allowing the acidic water in contact with the teeth, could cause irreversible tooth structure wear 20 .In published case, swimming athlete showed several loss of tooth enamel, in just two weeks, especially in their anterior teeth. is case emphasizes the need to ensure that the water is properly chlorinated and pH adjusted to 7.5 21 .
Also in relation to water sports, divers can su er barodontalgia, considered an intraoral pain evoked by changes in barometric pressure.Changing the volume of gas within cavities of the rigid body, associated with uctuations in atmospheric pressure can cause adverse e ects, being the most common oral diseases reported as possible sources of barodontalgia: unsatisfactory dental restorations (30.31%), dental caries without pulp involvement (29.2%), in ammation of the pulp / periradicular necrotic (27.8%), vital pulp pathology (13.9%) and recent dental treatment (barodontalgia postoperatively, 11.1%) [22][23] .
Already dental barotrauma, can manifest as tooth fracture reduction and retention of dental restoration or fracture, caused by changes in atmospheric pressure.Besides the need for dental treatment, the potential consequences include aspiration or swallowing of the fragment of restoration and / or pain, which can lead to incapacitation or disruption during the dive 24 .erefore, when acting for patients who dive, the dentist should perform periodic checks and preventive measures, including periapical and vitality test, with special attention to apical pathology, defective restorations and secondary caries lesions 25 .

Dental-facial trauma
Worldwide, there is a rise in the number of practitioners of regular vigorous physical activity and contact sports.Unfortunately, the bene ts provided by physical activity are associated with the risk of injury, including hard and soft tissue trauma 26 .Contact sport athletes have up to 10% more probability of su ering orofacial injury when compared to non-practitioners 26 and 33-56% risk of su ering a facial injury during his career 2 .
Regarding to hard tissue trauma, nasal bone is one of the most a ected structures in sports accidents, because it is located in a vulnerable area of the face and projected forward in relation to adjacent structures 27 .In cyclists, the zygomatic bone is the most prevalent fracture (30.8%) and fractures of the temporomandibular joint with a rate of 18.8%.It is essential to adopt preventive methods for high impact sports, to minimize traumas that can jeopardize the career of an athlete 28 .
e dental trauma is the most common in sports activities and it is often associated with serious consequences: aesthetic, functional, economic and psychological.It will depend on severity, and it can even exclude the athlete of an important competition.ese lesions are more occurrent in sports, such as mountain biking, roller, skate and aggressive contact sports.Amateur athletes have greater chance of injury than professional athletes 29 .
e front teeth are the most a ected by dental trauma and the upper incisors are more predisposed to injury (52-90%), due to the anatomical location 30 .
e uncomplicated crown fractures are the most common (44 to 62.5%) 30 .In the 2007 Pan American Games, 39.8% of the injuries were fractures of enamel, and 21.9% of these were in daily practice or competition in their respective sports 31 .When considering each sport separately, 41.2% of the athletes in jiu-jitsu su ered dental trauma, 37.1% in team handball, 36.4% in basketball, football 23.2%, 22.3% in judo and 11.5% in hockey32.In the event of avulsion, exists in the USA and EUROPE "Rescue Dental" kit, which improves periodontal healing with immediate replantation [33][34] .
Although 18.11% of athletes seek care after trauma, in Brazil the dentist is not widely inserted in sports activities 35 , providing that they rarely gets the rst aid.When lesion occurs, it is recommended fast and appropriate attendance, because will help player to prevent or minimize psychological and/ or physiologic damage, beyond consequences that may occur as a result of trauma 36 .

Face shields
Di erently from traumas caused in the daily, if the event occurs during in the sports practice, it di ers due to the possibility of prevention and softening of damages.It is possible through the education and the use of protective equipment, such as helmets and face shields and mouth (FS and MG) 37 .
The use of protective helmets is relevant in high-risk sports activities because it reduces the risk of oral, facial and skull lesions.e outer layer of modern helmets are usually fabricated from polycarbonate or polymers of higher quality, which promote better distribution of the stresses and forces attenuating impact energy [38][39] .e correct use of the helmet can protect against head injuries among riders snowboard when subjected to falls or collisions.However, there are a lot of practitioners who do not use the equipment, with 52.9% of the riders who have su ered dental or oral and facial trauma, reported not wearing a helmet 40 .
e location of the nasal bone is anatomically potentially more vulnerable and to protect this region, it is important which the material used for manufacture the nose shield has the adequate capacity of shock absorption, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).e shield made with a 2 mm layer of EVA superimposed by a exible sheet of 1 mm EVA disk, the risk of fracture of the nose was reduced by decreasing the stresses in the bone after impact 27 .
Protective masks are used after facial fractures, usually individualized and used to protect and prevent recurrent injuries during the healing period.
is shield promotes the dissipation of stresses resulting from the impact to the surrounding tissues and support structures 41 .
Eye injuries related to sports can be preventable in up to 90% of accidents, and the use of protective eyewear is responsible for preservation.is category should be e ective shield for safety, but without compromising the viewing area of the sportsman.e American Academy of Ophthalmology recommend the use of this equipment in sports activities with potential risk of injury to the eyes, however, this is not required in most sports.Although, it is few used by football players, this sport is becoming the leading cause of eye injury in the context of sports [42][43] .
Despite the wide availability of face shields, there is no guarantee that the entire oral and facial lesions will be prevented.However, the risk will be minimized because the damage depends on the magnitude and source of force, beyond the anatomical region reached 41 .Concomitant the use of face shields, an information program emphasizing importance of using protective clothing and education of urgency is essential and should be training routine 40 .

Mouthguard
Many of dento alveolar trauma resulting from sports activity could be minimized by the use of appropriate mouthguards, recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA) in sports since 1950 44 . is category is e ective, in the case of an absorbing device inserted into the mouth to prevent and reduce potential dental trauma and adjacent structures, which may cause dental and maxillofacial injuries of moderate to severe.e use of MG is increasing and di using among athletes, becoming mandatory in certain sports: rugby, american football and ice hockey; and signi cantly reduces the incidence of dental injuries in these sports 45 .
Despite bene ts, there is a lack of awareness among athletes to use the protectors during training and competitions.This fact is justified due to promote discomfort, breathing and pronunciation di culties, besides the possible drop in athletic performance 10,44,46 , still contested 47 .
Mouthguards are generally classi ed into three categories: pre-fabricated, thermoplastic and custom.Athletes tend to opt for prefabricated or thermoplastic because they nd it less expensive.However, these categories have de ciencies such as excessive weight and un tness.MG must be individually made by a dentist, using plaster model of the athlete, as determined by ASTM 697-80 48 which also determines that MG for sports should not hamper the phonetic and breathing, not a ect the physical performance of the athlete and enable longer use the same equipment 44,[48][49] .
The MG does not affect systemic functions of the athlete 44 , and acts better dissipating the stresses transmitted in the area of impact and reducing the incidence of: lacerations of soft tissue, trauma to the anterior teeth after a frontal blow, damage to the posterior teeth in both arches and mandibular fractures 44,50 .ere are di erences between researches on the use of MG related to the prevention of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).Controlled studies of neurological tried to demonstrate the e ectiveness of MG to prevent this type of injury, and concluded that there was no changes in the result of preventing MTBI 51 .
In a study with about 150 students from dental schools and physical education, showed that 68% did not know any of the categories of MG on the market, with undergraduate courses provided the ones who least access to such knowledge 52 .A special education program emphasizing the importance of using mouthguards, as rst aid measures for dental trauma.It is essential to promote the knowledge, awareness and motivation among athletes and coaches 49 .Future research is needed for better guidelines to increase its development and utility of the MG.In addition, a greater e ort must be made e ective strategies to promote health, increasing use of the equipment 44 .
As stated above, dentistry has an important role in the athlete's health and consequently on sport performance.
e presence of Dentist in athlete support sta is of paramount importance.Surveys have shown that systemic diseases can often be caused by a dental problem.
Actions to raise awareness of the importance of oral health in athletes as well as the need to use shields, which also minimizes maxillofacial injuries provide a brief return to sports activities in case of fractures are needed.
In some countries groups of research in this area already consolidated.Searches that determine material, geometry and ideal thickness of oral and

Final considerations
facial protectors are underway with satisfactory results and that already have clinical applicability and reproducibility with proven e ectiveness.
Studies that attest to the interference of oral health on overall health of the athlete must be considered because there is already news of athletes who died from bacterial endocarditis from foci of oral infections.Materials with di erent damping, odorless, biocompatible and incipient capacity should also be the focus of future research.Anyway dentistry must have their place of importance in the life of the athlete and the dentist should be one of the professionals involved in your day to day.
be considered high.For instance, some team sports and combat sports such as.Sports as boxing, judo, karate, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, sumo, soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, mountain biking, motocross, hockey and skating.As a result, not saving e orts with epidemiological studies about injuries in sports and the resulting establishment of preventive methods.It is estimated that approximately 150,000 injuries to the mouth tissues are prevented annually through mouthguards during the practice of sport 2 .