Effects of Malocclusion on Maximal Aerobic Capacity and Athletic Performance in Young Sub-Elite Athletes

El Mokhtar El Ouali; Hassane Zouhal; Loubna Bahije; Azeddine Ibrahimi; Bahae Benamar; Jihan Kartibou; Ayoub Saeidi; Ismail Laher; Sanae El Harane; Urs Granacher; Abdelhalem Mesfioui

doi:10.3390/sports11030071

Effects of Malocclusion on Maximal Aerobic Capacity and Athletic Performance in Young Sub-Elite Athletes

Sports (Basel). 2023 Mar 20;11(3):71. doi: 10.3390/sports11030071.

Authors

El Mokhtar El Ouali¹, Hassane Zouhal^{2

3}, Loubna Bahije⁴, Azeddine Ibrahimi⁵, Bahae Benamar⁶, Jihan Kartibou⁷, Ayoub Saeidi⁸, Ismail Laher⁹, Sanae El Harane¹⁰, Urs Granacher¹¹, Abdelhalem Mesfioui¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Biology and Health, Department of Biology, Ibn Tofail University of Kenitra, Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
² Movement, Sport, Health and Sciences Laboratory (M2S), UFR-STAPS, University of Rennes 2-ENS Cachan, Av. Charles Tillon, 35044 Rennes, France.
³ Institut International des Sciences du Sport (2IS), 35850 Irodouer, France.
⁴ Department of Dentofacial Orthopedics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Mohammed 5 University of Rabat, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
⁵ Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohamed 5 Rabat University, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
⁶ BENAMAR Medical Analysis Laboratory, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
⁷ Ministry of National Education and Teaching and Sports, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
⁸ Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj 66177-15175, Iran.
⁹ Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
¹¹ Department of Sport and Sport Science, Exercise and Human Movement Science, University of Freiburg, 79102 Freiburg, Germany.

Abstract

Oral pathologies can cause athletic underperformance. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of malocclusion on maximal aerobic capacity in young athletes with the same anthropometric data, diet, training mode, and intensity from the same athletics training center. Sub-elite track and field athletes (middle-distance runners) with malocclusion (experimental group (EG); n = 37; 21 girls; age: 15.1 ± 1.5 years) and without malocclusion (control group (CG); n = 13; 5 girls; age: 14.7 ± 1.9 years) volunteered to participate in this study. Participants received an oral diagnosis to examine malocclusion, which was defined as an overlapping of teeth that resulted in impaired contact between the teeth of the mandible and the teeth of the upper jaw. Maximal aerobic capacity was assessed using the VAMEVAL test (calculated MAS and estimated VO_2max). The test consisted of baseline values that included the following parameters: maximum aerobic speed (MAS), maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max), heart rate frequency, systolic (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), blood lactate concentration (LBP), and post-exercise blood lactate assessment (LAP) after the performance of the VAMEVAL test. There were no statistically significant differences between the two study groups related to either anthropometric data (age: EG = 15.1 ± 1.5 vs. CC = 14.7 ± 1.9 years (p = 0.46); BMI: EG = 19.25 ± 1.9 vs. CC = 19.42 ± 1.7 kg/m² (p = 0.76)) or for the following physical fitness parameters and biomarkers: MAS: EG = 15.5 (14.5-16.5) vs. CG = 15.5 (15-17) km/h (p = 0.47); VO_2max: EG = 54.2 (52.5-58.6) vs. CG = 54.2 (53.4-59.5) mL/kg/min (p = 0.62) (IQR (Q1-Q3)); heart rate before the physical test: EG = 77.1 ± 9.9 vs. CG = 74.3 ± 14.0 bpm (p = 0.43); SAP: EG = 106.6 ± 13.4 vs. CG = 106.2 ± 14.8 mmHg (p = 0.91); DAP: EG = 66.7 ± 9.1 vs. CG = 63.9 ± 10.2 mmHg (p = 0.36); LBP: EG = 1.5 ± 0.4 vs. CG = 1.3 ± 0.4 mmol/L (p = 0.12); and LAP: EG = 4.5 ± 2.36 vs. CG = 4.06 ± 3.04 mmol/L (p = 0.60). Our study suggests that dental malocclusion does not impede maximal aerobic capacity and the athletic performance of young track and field athletes.

Keywords: endurance; exercise; orthodontic pathologies; running; training.

Grants and funding

The authors acknowledge the support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Open Access Publishing Fund of the University of Freiburg, Germany.