Head and dental injuries or other dental problems in alpine sports

Abstract

In the hectic daily life, spending our leisure time outdoor in the mountains becomes more and more popular. Although information describing dental injuries in various sports is available, data specifically on dental trauma and other dental problems in alpine sports are lacking. Data of 1,128 alpinists were generated by using a standardized questionnaire. The questions focused on the frequency of head and dental injuries and other dental problems. The participating alpinists have been recruited through the network of alpine clubs and an outdoor equipment supplier. Injuries were most frequently caused by a fall while doing alpine sports (14.7%, = 154). Of the participants, 8.2% (n = 93) suffered from a facial injury: 16% (n = 15) of these had a dental trauma. Other dental problems such as barodontalgia were more common than dental traumas. A sensation of pressure or pain was noticed in 13% (n = 135) of the participants at least once. Of all the participants who suffered pain, 54.1% reported one or several previous restorations. Pain medication was beneficial in 92.1%. Dental traumas are rare while doing alpine sports but not negligible because of its requirement of lifelong therapy and incurs substantial treatment costs. An intraoral pain of a usually asymptomatic tissue occurred, in this sample of participants, nearly as often as in pilots and divers. Pain killer is an efficient tool for the alpinists to reduce the pain until they reach a lower altitude.