Awareness of Dental Health in Competitive and Recreational Swimmers

Abstract

Background: Swimming is an exercise globally popular due to its beneficial effects. It is a well-known fact that chlorine is added to pool water for disinfection, although the repercussion of the same is not prominently described in the literature. Aims: (1) This study aims to establish the presence of symptoms of dental erosion in swimmers who swim competitively as well as recreationally and (2) to compare the gradient of symptoms experienced by the two groups. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study was carried out to establish the correlation between dental erosion in swimmers who swim competitively (n = 250) – 6 or more than 6 h a week and recreationally (n = 250) – lesser than 6 h a week. A questionnaire was distributed both online and manually across India and feedback was received. All the findings were correlated and statistically analyzed. Observation and Results: The results showed the distinct presence of the phenomenon among a majority of swimmers who experienced an array of symptoms of dental erosion such as chalkiness of teeth in 58.2% of subjects, roughness of teeth in 54.4%, generalized sensitivity in 38.2%, sensitivity to hot and cold foods/drinks in 52%, discoloration in 37.6%, and staining in 36.6% subjects. A remarkable finding of this study was the lack of generalized awareness with respect to the phenomenon among competitive and recreational swimmers Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of the phenomenon and the general lack of awareness among swimmers with respect to dental erosion associated with exposure to the chlorinated pool water.