Authors: Karsten Hollander, Inbar Eshkol-Yogev, Astrid Zech, Jacopo Buti & Ian Needleman
Journal Reference (Harvard): Hollander, K., Eshkol-Yogev, I., Zech, A., Buti, J. and Needleman, I., 2026. The influence of oral health on sports performance: an interdisciplinary perspective. British Dental Journal, 240(4), pp.277–283. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-9348-1
Sports performance depends on many factors, including physical ability, technical skill, tactics, and psychological strength. However, recent research suggests that oral health may also influence athletic performance. In some sports, such as athletics or swimming, performance is easy to measure using time or distance. In team or aesthetic sports, performance is harder to measure because it depends on teamwork, strategy, and judging. Despite these differences, important physical abilities such as endurance, strength, speed, power, agility, and recovery remain key to success. Poor oral health, including gum disease and tooth decay, may affect these abilities by influencing recovery, nutrition, and overall wellbeing.
In recent years, oral health has been recognised as a potentially modifiable factor that could affect sports performance. This review explores how sports performance is measured, particularly in explosive and endurance sports, and examines the relationship between oral health and performance outcomes. Explosive sports involve short, high-intensity efforts that require power and neuromuscular coordination, while endurance sports require prolonged effort supported by aerobic capacity. Performance in these areas is commonly measured using tests such as maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O₂ max), sprint tests, agility tests, and strength tests like the one-repetition maximum.
Research increasingly shows links between poor oral health and reduced athletic performance. Studies have found associations between conditions such as periodontal disease, dental caries, and malocclusion and poorer results in performance tests. These include lower V̇O₂ max levels, reduced power output, slower sprint speeds, and poorer agility scores. For example, athletes with signs of periodontal inflammation have been shown to have lower aerobic capacity and poorer cycling ergometer performance than those with healthy gums. Similarly, studies using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index have found that athletes with higher levels of tooth decay tend to perform worse in sprint and agility tests.
Oral health problems can also affect athletes’ daily lives and wellbeing. Dental pain, gum disease, and tooth wear can make eating uncomfortable, disturb sleep, and reduce quality of life. These problems may lead to reduced training time and lower perceived performance during competition.
Several mechanisms may explain how oral health affects performance. Periodontal disease can cause chronic systemic inflammation, which increases inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and cytokines. These can negatively affect muscle recovery, increase fatigue, and reduce endurance capacity. Oral health problems may also affect nutrition if athletes avoid certain foods because of pain or discomfort, potentially reducing energy intake and recovery. Changes in the oral microbiome may also influence metabolism and cognitive function. In addition, dental problems may affect confidence, mood, and concentration. Pain or jaw dysfunction may also disrupt sensorimotor control, which can influence posture, balance, and force production.
Overall, the evidence suggests that oral health is an important but often overlooked part of athlete health and performance. Future research should involve collaboration between dentistry, sports medicine, and exercise science to better understand these relationships. Including oral health screening and prevention in athlete healthcare could help improve both wellbeing and sports performance.
Research Summary Written By: Nour Al-arbi, University of Manchester – BDS 3