Aspetar hosts workshop on oral injury prevention

Aspetar hosted a comprehensive two-day workshop on ‘The Prevention of Oral Injuries in Sports,’ to mark the World Oral Health Day, which was on March 20. The event was led by Aspetar’s director of Sports Dentistry Dr Mohamed Alsaey and visiting surgeon Dr Peter Fine, director of Sports Dentistry at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London.

Organised by the Sports Dentistry Department, the workshop featured a series of interactive discussions, seminars and case studies. Dr Fine said: “This is a very relevant workshop as there is very little known about tooth trauma and tooth injuries, and how they can be prevented.”

A range of topics were discussed, including the direct correlation between oral health and the overall performance of an elite athlete.

Dr Fine explained that evidence from a number of studies published recently, shows that the overall health of elite athletes can be affected by their dental health. Dr Alsaey cited latest studies which show a direct correlation between periodontal disease and cardiac problems.  Another key topic of discussion was that of  jaw fractures. Custom made mouth guard is used to prevent oral injuries to the teeth, lips, cheeks, tongue and jaw such as -- tongue swallowing, broken teeth; excessive bleeding.