Mouth-Dental Health Profile of The Turkish Paralympic National Team

To display the profile of oral and dental health of Turkish athletes preparing for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and to take measures to improve preventive dentistry services. n=17 (24 %) visually impaired athletes of judo, athletics and goalball (men) brances; n=43 (60.5 %) athletes with physical disabilities of coarchery, basketball, swimming, tennis, table tennis branches and n=11 (% 15,5) athletes with hearing impaired taekwondo branches preparing for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games participated in our study. The evaluations of athletes’ decay (D), missing (M), filled (F) teeth (DMF-T) index and of community periodontal treatment need index (CPITN) have been made according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. In statistical evaluation realized through paired-samples t-test statistical analysis method, there was a statistically significance between the athletes’ D, M and F numerical values and the age (p<0.05). In comparison of gender and dental disease, D, M and F numerical values were statistically significant for both genders (p<0.05); the relation between gender and periodontal tissue disease was found statistically significant (p<0.05). Dental and periodontal disease rates of disabled athletes were above the WHO’s 2020 target values. However, it was seen that the athletes' group had been actively involved in tooth treatment rather than tooth loss. In order to increase the provision of preventive dentistry, disabled athletes should have oral and dental health check twice a year and education on the impact of oral-teeth health on the health of athletes should be organized