Athletes’ medical preventive behaviors: the case of oral health and ultraendurance trail runners

TL;DR

Ultra-endurance runners face high dental risks but maintain good oral health through preventive dental behaviors like regular check-ups and brushing.

Contribution

The study identifies key determinants of preventive dental behaviors and suggests race-specific prevention strategies for ultra-endurance athletes.

Findings

37% of runners reported both preventive dental visits and recent visits.

Good oral health and early dental visits are strongly associated with preventive behaviors.

Preventive behaviors tend to co-occur, suggesting they are interlinked in this population.

Abstract

Ultra-endurance runners are particularly exposed to caries risk factors due to the continuous intake of sugars in liquid or sticky forms during long-distance exercise. The risk of caries increases due to a failure to perform oral hygiene during races. Ultra-endurance runners had good oral health status despite these particularities. Our hypothesis is that high compliance with preventive oral health recommendations (toothbrushing and preventive or regular dental visits) counterbalance the risks associated with their exposure to caries. We aimed to gain a better understanding of preventive dental behaviors in ultra-endurance runners. We then studied the determinants of two major recommendations: (1) visiting a dentist for preventive check-ups and (2) visiting a dentist during the year. 37% of the total sample reported patterns of both preventive dental visits and recent visits. Early visits (ORa = 4.8***), good oral health (ORa = 8.8**) and tooth brushing (ORa = 2.2**) were associated with preventive dental visits, but there was no significant influence of snacking or weekly work hours. The ultra-endurance race frequency was associated with early dental visits despite equal needs. Most risk-control behaviors were associated with each other, indicating that they are all-or-nothing behaviors. Individual prevention strategies implemented at the dental office may not be as effective as they predominantly target individuals who are already aware of and interested in preventive care. Instead, developing targeted primary prevention strategies that are accessible at race venues, such as stands, villages, or food supply points, could be more effective.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-024-04492-3.

• Ultra-endurance runners are particularly exposed to caries risk factors, but they still have good dental health status.

• More runners are involved in the races more they practice early dental visits.

• Preventive dental behaviors co-exist in ultra-endurance runners’ population and potentiate each other.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-024-04492-3.