Oral infections, malocclusion, and bruxism can affect athletes’ muscle recovery, balance, and physical performance

São Paulo, June 2026 – In a sports environment where every detail can impact on-field performance, oral health has come to play a strategic role in the preparation of professional athletes. During major international competitions, such as the World Cup, there is growing attention on health fields that operate behind the scenes of national teams, and sports dentistry is one of them.

Far beyond aesthetics, this specialty assesses how oral inflammation, bite irregularities, and disorders such as bruxism can directly interfere with muscle recovery, body balance, and even players’ physical endurance. Studies conducted by regulatory agencies reveal that oral health problems (such as active infection sites or dental malocclusion) can reduce an athlete’s muscle performance by 20% to 30%, in addition to significantly increasing the risk of joint injuries and strains due to the body’s constant inflammatory state.

“Inflamed gums or an impacted wisdom tooth are not just problems of the mouth. These infections can increase systemic inflammation in the body, affecting muscle recovery, physical performance, and even an athlete’s ability to compete,” explains Dr. Aguinaldo Garcez, a member of the SBOEE—Brazilian Society of Sports and Exercise Dentistry—and a professor at São Leopoldo Mandic.  “In a short, extremely high-intensity tournament like the World Cup, where the world’s soccer elite gather, small details can determine a title, and oral health can be that deciding factor.”

Brazilian Pioneering Spirit

According to historical records detailed by the Association of Dental Surgeons of Baixada Santista (ACDBS), Brazil was a global pioneer in bringing a dentist, Dr. Mario Trigo, to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. On that occasion, a pre-tournament evaluation revealed that the team was suffering from severe infections, which were treated through a “dental revolution” behind the scenes, led by Dr. Trigo, who extracted dozens of teeth with chronic infections that were affecting the players’ performance.

The result of that pioneering oral health program culminated in the country’s first-ever World Cup title. The dentist continued to accompany the team during their victorious campaigns in 1962 and 1970, becoming the only dentist to have won three World Cup titles.

Modern Challenges

Today, sports dentistry focuses on biosafety and the biomechanics of movement, quite different from the past when the focus was on eliminating sources of infection. The main areas addressed in this specialty, which focuses on elite athletes, include:

• Muscular Balance and Occlusion: As reported by the Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO), problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and “imbalanced bite alignment” directly affect athletes’ center of gravity, posture, dynamic balance, and even their breathing, leading to muscular asymmetries.
• Doping Prevention: Any prescription of medication in dentistry for an athlete—whether professional or amateur—requires absolute precision. The inadvertent use of pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs containing prohibited substances can result in doping penalties and disqualifications.
• Custom Mouthguards: Far beyond their use in combat sports, custom-made mouthguards created using digital scanning technology are used to absorb the impact of head collisions common in soccer and to mitigate the effects of waking bruxism (teeth clenching caused by game-related tension).

The active presence of these professionals on technical committees marks a clinical advancement: to kick with precision and run for 90 minutes at a high level, the foundation of well-being begins with a smile.

About São Leopoldo Mandic

Ranked for 15 consecutive years as one of the top ten institutions of higher education in the country according to the Ministry of Education’s (MEC) General Course Index (IGC), São Leopoldo Mandic College, in Campinas, boasts a faculty composed of professors with doctoral degrees and extensive scientific publications, who graduated from the best educational institutions in Brazil and abroad. Equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, fully-fledged dental clinics, and practical training opportunities at affiliated hospitals and Basic Health Units, the institution offers students hands-on experience in its Dentistry and Medicine programs starting in the first year, as well as research activities and community service opportunities. It features realistic simulation labs, modern diagnostic and training resources, and an innovation hub, all of which serve both undergraduate and graduate programs. It also runs outreach projects such as the “Barco da Saúde” (Health Boat), which brings medical and dental care to underserved communities. São Leopoldo Mandic College is part of the Mandic Group, which operates nine other graduate schools across the country and one in Portugal. The Group also includes three additional undergraduate medical schools, located in the cities of Araras, São Paulo; Limeira, São Paulo; and the Sertão School of Medicine (FMS) in Arcoverde, Pernambuco.

Mandic Group Brazil Press Office:

Nayrim Pinheiro | InPress Porter Novelli – mandic@inpresspni.com.br 

Sílvia Balbo Messias | São Leopoldo Mandic – silvia.balbo@slmandic.edu.br