The Oral Health and Performance in Sport conference in London discussed how dental health affects the training and performance of athletes

A study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed a fifth of athletes said their oral health damaged their training and performance for the Games.

At the conference, dentists said tooth pain could disrupt sleep and training and that inflammation of the gums could affect the rest of the body, impairing performance.

It is not unusual for poor oral health to have wider effects. The NHS says it is linked to type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

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