Dental conditions among competitive university athletes in Nigeria.

Objective: To assess the oral health practices and the prevalence of dental problems among competitive university athletes in Nigeria.

Materials and methods: A cross-section of athletes that participated at the 2011 Nigerian university games in Benin-city, Nigeria, was studied. The tool of data collection was self-administered questionnaire. The information sought included demographics of the respondents and the sports they are involved in. Other information included prevalence of dental problem, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, history of toothache, gingival bleeding and mouth ulcer as well as their care seeking behaviour and pattern of oral health utilization.

Results: The response rate was 75.3%. The prevalence of oral health problem among the respondents was 28.3% and dental caries was the commonest reported oral health problem among the respondents. A total of 106 (46.9%), 82 (36.3%) and 92 (40.7%) of the respondents had experienced toothache, gingival bleeding and mouth ulcer respectively. Less than half (40.7%) of the respondents have ever visited the dentist. Among the respondents, 108 (47.8%) reported taking alcohol while 16 (7.1%) indulged in cigarette smoking. Consumption of soft drink always and sometimes were reported by 64 (28.3%) and 98 (43.4%) of the respondents respectively. Respondents who had experienced dental problem during competitions made up 15.9% of the respondents and 66.7% of this group reported that the dental problem affected their performance in the competition.

Conclusion: The prevalence of dental conditions among respondents was high and it had adverse impact on performance in competitions.