Next time you avoid exercising just say you were doing it for the benefit of your oral health.
A team of researchers at the University Hospital in Germany determined that the more exercise you do, the higher risk there is of tooth decay and early teeth loss. The researchers looked at the oral health status of several triathletes and nonathletes and found that people who regularly exercise have a higher risk of rotting teeth. There were 70 people in the group, some of whom were triathletes and others who were nonathletes.
The higher risk of tooth decay among the triathletes may stem from the fact that exercising raises the alkalinity of saliva. This leads to a better situation for the growth of harmful bacteria.
The risk of decay went up with every extra hour of training.
Despite this information, there is not enough data to definitively say this correlation between more exercise and poor oral health is a fact. If athletes take good care of their teeth and gums, there’s no need to worry.
A more likely reason for the poor oral health among people who exercise is the consumption of energy and sports drinks that contain large amounts of sugar.
