Despite the lack of an official census of professional divers, it is estimated that there are between 800 and 2,800 divers in our country. And although it is a sport of great beauty and requires a series of knowledge and precautions to practice it safely, it can cause orofacial problems, mostly related to pressure changes.
Summer is synonymous with the beach and, increasingly, with water sports. In recent years, the “brave” who have dared to practice sports such as water skiing, kitesurfing, canoeing or rowing, have increased exponentially. However, one of the most popular is diving which, despite the lack of an official census of professional divers, is estimated to range between 800 and 2,800 in our country. And although it is a sport of great beauty and requires a series of knowledge and precautions to practice it safely, it can cause orofacial problems, mostly related to pressure changes. A problem that has been gaining importance in recent years due to an increase in oral pathologies directly related to the practice of this sport.
To assess the prevalence of these problems and analyze the behavior of civilian divers based on their dental prevention, a cross-sectional study entitled “Barodontalgia and dental barotrauma among divers” was carried out in France, which was published in May of this same year. .
The survey, distributed from October to December 2020, analyzed the responses of 1,015 French divers, over 18 years of age, through a nationwide online questionnaire in which the participants, members of the French Federation of Underwater Sports, indicated information about orofacial problems experienced during your diving activity and your preventive medical habits.
The results
As a result, 25.2% of the divers experienced oral problems, including: barodontalgia (10.8%), oral syndrome (13.4%), gum pain (2.8%) and dental fractures. caused by barotrauma (3.7%) or blows (1.9%). Oral syndrome was more frequent among women (18.6%) and divers aged between 18 and 34 years (18.9%). On the other hand, the prevalence of dental fractures increased significantly with age. A high level of diving was associated with more frequent barodontalgia (17.5%), gum pain (7%) and barotrauma (7.6%). Among those surveyed, 43.5% completed a dental exam prior to a diving season and reported fewer oral problems during their dive than those who did not.
In conclusion, oral problems in diving are common and can compromise the safety of divers. However, despite the growing awareness, there is a great lack of recourse to the dentist, which leads to incomplete information, especially regarding the preventive means available to divers.