Oral Health and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Professional Soccer Players in Southern Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: To evaluate the oral health of professional footballers and to investigate possible determinants of oral health as well as the self-reported impacts on well-being, quality of life (QoL), and performance.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on professional soccer players of the Calabria region, Italy. The outcome measures were the following: DMFT (decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth), DMFS (decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth surfaces), BEWE (basic erosive wear examination), CPI (community periodontal index), CPITN (community periodontal index of treatment needs), Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14).
Results: One hundred and sixty footballers were recruited from seven clubs. The median age of the players was 25 years (19–39) years. The mean DMFT was 2.8 ± 2.9, and the multiple logistic regression analyses showed a positive association with frequent intake of drinks rich in sugar (OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 1.59–8.56) and sports drinks (OR = 3.73, 95% CI = 1.09–12.75). Dental erosions were present in 48.1% of footballers and periodontal diseases in 50%, with a positive association with frequent intake of energy drinks (OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.09–7.51). The OHIP-14 showed that 30.6% of participants reported having had pain in their teeth/mouth/dentures occasionally.
Conclusions: Results from the present study showed that the oral health of professional soccer players in Southern Italy was poor, especially regarding caries, erosion, and periodontal diseases. Moreover, OHIP-14 showed an impact on oral health in soccer players’ QoL, revealing that poor oral health negatively affected professional well-being and performance. Results suggest the need for prevention interventions for professional athletes.