Assessment of oral hygiene status, caries experience, and prevalence of dental erosion among swimmers in Goa: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Swimming is one of the healthiest forms of exercise. However, long duration of exposure to chlorinated water may lead to various oral health problems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess oral hygiene status and prevalence of dental erosion among professional and trainee swimmers in Goa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study consisting of swimmers from the state of Goa was conducted from May to June 2024. The participants were selected by simple random sampling method from a swimming pool under each zone to obtain the required sample size of 255. The clinical examination of all the subjects was carried out to record the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S), Tooth Wear index, and the Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. A self-designed questionnaire consisting of 16 closed-ended questions was administered, which was validated using face validity and content validity ratio (0.78). The data were analyzed at a statistical significance value p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The mean DMFT score of trainee swimmers was 2.41 ± 2.62, and for professional swimmers it was 4.69 ± 4.06. The mean OHI-S score was 1.46 ± 0.85 among trainee swimmers and 1.90 ± 0.68 among professional swimmers. The prevalence of dental erosion was found to be 66% among professional swimmers and 18% among trainee swimmers (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated high caries prevalence and poor oral hygiene among swimmers due to their distinctive sport activity. The notable prevalence of dental erosion among professional swimmers as compared to the trainee swimmers was most likely due to their prolonged exposure to chlorinated water and lack of oral hygiene practices.