Interdental Spacing and Orthodontic Treatment in Competitive Athletes: Clues to Doping with Growth Hormones?

Overview

Journal J Orofac Orthop

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2010 Oct 22

PMID 20963546

Authors

Jens Christoph Turp

Heinz Lunsch

Ralf Johannes Radlanski

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Unlabelled: The aim of this report is to examine clues of a suspected link between the artificial ingestion of human growth hormone (rh- GH) and resulting interdental spaces in adult athletes. We conducted an electronic search in the German-language versions of the search engines Google and Google Scholar as well as in the database PubMed. While no explicit articles could be identified in PubMed, the search in Google and Google Scholar produced 1370 and 6 hits, respectively. Original quotes from 20 sources show that in the media the wearing of orthodontic multibracket appliances among athletes is largely attributed to changes in tooth position as a consequence of the illegal ingestion of rhGH. On the other hand, there are few references to the possibility that orthodontic treatments with fixed appliances might be carried out for reasons unrelated to doping.

Conclusion: A definitive assessment of this issue is not possible at present. In view of its major importance of the subject, the relationships depicted here should be investigated in greater depth.

References

Kann P . [Growth hormone therapy in adults]. Internist (Berl). 2005; 46(9):1047-52. DOI: 10.1007/s00108-005-1426-5. View

Bidlingmaier M, Strasburger C . Growth hormone. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2009; (195):187-200. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-79088-4_8. View

Calfee R, Fadale P . Popular ergogenic drugs and supplements in young athletes. Pediatrics. 2006; 117(3):e577-89. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1429. View

Ehrnborg C, Rosen T . The psychology behind doping in sport. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2009; 19(4):285-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.ghir.2009.04.003. View

Rogol A . Drugs to enhance athletic performance in the adolescent. Semin Adolesc Med. 1985; 1(4):317-24. View

Holt R . Detecting growth hormone abuse in athletes. Drug Test Anal. 2010; 1(9-10):426-33. DOI: 10.1002/dta.59. View

Segura J, Gutierrez-Gallego R, Ventura R, Pascual J, Bosch J, Such-Sanmartin G . Growth hormone in sport: beyond Beijing 2008. Ther Drug Monit. 2009; 31(1):3-13. DOI: 10.1097/FTD.0b013e318194cc94. View

Neeley 2nd W, Kluemper G, Hays L . Psychiatry in orthodontics. Part 2: Substance abuse among adolescents and its relevance to orthodontic practice. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2006; 129(2):185-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2005.11.005. View

Rogol A . Drugs of abuse and the adolescent athlete. Ital J Pediatr. 2010; 36:19. PMC: 2830221. DOI: 10.1186/1824-7288-36-19. View

10.

Bernardin J, Kohler B . [Substance abuse in recreational exercise]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 2010; 135(11):522-6. DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1249201. View

11.

Birzniece V, Nelson A, Ho K . Growth hormone administration: is it safe and effective for athletic performance. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010; 39(1):11-23, vii. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecl.2009.10.007. View

12.

Chanson P, Salenave S . Acromegaly. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2008; 3:17. PMC: 2459162. DOI: 10.1186/1750-1172-3-17. View

13.

Kamber M, Mullis P . [Doping in adolescence]. Ther Umsch. 2007; 64(2):83-9. DOI: 10.1024/0040-5930.64.2.83. View

14.

Macintyre J . Growth hormone and athletes. Sports Med. 1987; 4(2):129-42. DOI: 10.2165/00007256-198704020-00004. View