Portsmouth Football Club Magazine July 2020 | Page 8

Portsmouth F.C.
Academy players
get dental
check-ups
Youth players from the Portsmouth Football
Club Academy received pre-season dental checkups
with students at the University’s Dental
Academy, thanks to a collaborative partnership
between the two.
The check-ups are an opportunity to catch any
potential issues early, such as dental trauma
from the sport, tooth decay from a diet that’s
often high in carbohydrates and sugars, or
dental erosion caused by acidic sports drinks.
The aim is to carry out some research looking
at the links between oral health and sports
performance.
Professor Chris Louca, Director and Head of the
University’s Dental Academy said: ‘We felt it was
important to engage with young people from the
Club. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that
there is more dental disease with elite athletes
and elite football players than there is relative to
the normal population. This year is the first time
we’ve held these checks, and we hope to offer
them annually to the Football Club in the coming
years.’
Ethan Robb, Portsmouth Football Academy
midfielder added: ‘It gives us time to think about
the things we wouldn’t normally even think
about, like going to the dentist. The dentist gave
me good advice about my teeth and where I can
improve.’
The University offers
free oral health checks
and eye tests for local
residents.
13 port.ac.uk/meetus14