Bad teeth could affect the quality of the Premier League

No wonder Luis Suarez decided to quit the Premier League – a new survey has discovered that four out of ten footballers in England suffer from tooth decay and eight out of ten have varying degrees of gum disease.

The problem is so bad that it could be adversely affecting players during matches, say researchers at University College London.

The study "suggests that rotting teeth may be holding back players from giving their peak performance and better dental health could enhance their on-pitch performance", reports the Daily Telegraph.

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Researchers looked at 187 sets of teeth belonging to players from Manchester United, Hull, Southampton, Swansea, West Ham, Brighton, Cardiff and Sheffield United and found that 53 percent showed signs of dental erosion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given footballers' reputation for vanity, 45 per cent of players were bothered by the state of their teeth while, more worringly, seven per cent said it affected their ability to play and train.

The figure of 40 per cent with tooth decay is ten per cent higher than the figure for the general population.

"Nutrition is one of the primary suspects with frequent consumption of sugary or acidic foods during training potentially accounting for tooth decay and erosion," says the BBC. "A lot of air in the mouth during exercise can also dry it out so there is less protection from saliva."

Professor Ian Needleman, who led the project, said: "A significant percentage of our top footballers are affected by dental decay, tooth erosion and gum disease, much of which is preventable."

He said the findings were "worrying" but added that many clubs were now addressing the problem. "At this level of athlete, even small differences can be quite telling."

A previous study found similar levels of decay among athletes at the 2012 Olympics, while the Telegraph recalls the case of Ravel Morrison, who "was sent home from a pre-season tour to have seven teeth removed", while playing for West Ham.

The Hammers "went on to spend £28,000 on dental implants for Morrison, who now plays for Italian side Lazio", says the paper. "The Upton Park club has since begun regularly screening players and has become one of the first clubs to start taking dental health seriously."