Ian Needleman is a Professor of Restorative Dentistry at the Centre of Oral Health and Performance, University College London (UCL) Eastman Dental Institute. Prof Needleman is on a mission to combat poor oral health in athletes. Alongside his research team, he has proven oral healthcare at the elite level to be poor, that this leads to a decrease in performance and has suggested that oral health screening should be routine for athletes (link to these papers below). You can also check out, download and use an infographic on oral healthcare published in the BJSM (link below).

BJSM's Medical Editor Dr. Liam West caught up with Prof. Needleman at the 2017 IOC Injury and Illness Prevention Conference (Monaco) to discuss why athletes should care about their oral healthcare.

You can find out more from Ian and his team on their website - www.ucl.ac.uk/cohp -

Extra Links
Poor Oral Health in Professional Football Study - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/1/41

Oral health screening should be routine in professional football: a call to action for SEM clinicians - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/21/1295

Oral Healthcare Infographic - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/9/757

London 2012 paper: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/47/16/1054

Systematic review: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/7/561.3