Role of Dentistry in Motor Sports

Oral health is closely related to the condition of competitive athletes and those engaged in other sports. Dental diseases can lower performance by interfering with concentration during games and practice sessions. This should not be overlooked when providing team support. We began providing dental examinations, counseling on dental treatment and disease prevention, and the fabrication of custom-made mouthguards to motorsport drivers and staff members. In doing so, we found the following. 1. Dental examination and oral hygiene instructions are necessary parts of a medical examination. In only a few cases in this report, full cooperation from a team could be obtained. It is therefore necessary to provide further education on the importance of dental support. 2. Active education of motorsport competitors is necessary with regard to preventing odontogenic attrition, reducing defatigation of masticatory muscles, minimizing oral trauma, and fabricating custom-made mouthguards for racers. In addition to mouthguards, dental check-ups are particularly important.