Health experts have always advised that daily exercise can help prevent obesity and diabetes. But too much of it is apparently not good, at least for dental and oral health.

According to a new study, vigorous training or intense workouts can be detrimental to a person's teeth. Researchers from Germany have found strong evidence that intense training among athletes leads to poor dental health.

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Cornelia Frese from the University Hospital Heidelberg collected saliva from 35 triathletes to further study the effects of endurance training. Triathletes considerably work out more and train longer hours. The team also conducted this study among 35 non-athletes for comparison.

The team later found out that the triatheletes showed more signs of tooth decay as opposed to the non-athlete group. Researchers also noted that athletes who spend more time training have more cavities than other athletes who spend fewer hours training.

Upon examining the participants' saliva, researchers realized there's no significant difference in the enzymes that protect the teeth and gums.

When the athletes begin their workout, however, saliva production was reduced while the acidity that gives rise to tooth decay increased.

The study should not discourage people from working out.  Frese assures this particular study is short term and that only a few subjects were involved in various levels of physical activity.

The athletes that participated in this study were on a nine-hour a week rigorous training program. This only proves that this kind of endurance training poses a serious risk when it comes to dental and oral health.

This study was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.

TagsWhy Extreme Exercise Can Be Bad for Your Teeth, tooth decay, exercise, intense workout training teeth athletes