ATHLETES' ORAL HEALTH- IMPACT OF SPORTS AND ENERGY DRINKS

Oral health is multifaceted and includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence and without pain, discomfort, and disease of the craniofacial complex. An athlete is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may have poor oral health including high levels of dental caries, dental erosion, dental trauma, periodontal disease, and pericoronitis. Poor oral health can reduce the quality of life and affect athletic performance. Sports drinks and energy drinks ingested by athletes in the form of liquids, or food supplements, can cause complications in the oral environment including dental hard tissues and dental materials, due to the high content of free sugars and acidic ingredients.