Self-reported injuries to oral tissues through resistance training in bodybuilders

Abstract

Lifting heavy weights almost automatically elicits teeth clenching, which, if performed regularly, may lead to chronic trauma. This study assessed self-reported injuries to oral tissues in athletes and bodybuilders caused by resistance training and determined the association between self-reported trauma, performance level and the duration of practicing resistance training. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information about the respondents (age and gender), their performance level (hobby versus competition athlete), experience with oral tissue trauma, the use of mouthguards, and dietary habits. From a total of 363 females and 239 males, 221 (36.7%) classified themselves as competition athletes and 381 (63.3%) as hobby athletes. Nearly 34.6% (n = 202) of the participants declared distress in their orofacial region during practice. Female hobby athletes reported 2.5 times more mouth-teeth-jaw problems than female competition athletes (p < 0.001). Females showed themselves slightly more susceptible to mouth-teeth-jaw problems with resistance training than males (odds ratio [OR] = 1.45, p = 0.076). Negative oral effects were found to be 2.1 (p = 0.003) times higher for those who had been practicing for 10 years or more. It was concluded that a higher number of years of resistance training increased self-reported oral tissue trauma in the current cohort. Females were more likely to report orofacial problems than males.