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EasyDental 🤝 Highlanders Oral Health Programme

  • maykon018
  • Jun 13
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 14

Maykon Dias delivers an engaging presentation to the Highlanders professional rugby team
Oral Health Talk at the Highlander's HQ with the entire squad in attendance.

In elite sports, every detail counts —even oral health. The Highlanders is perhaps the first rugby team to purposefully give oral health the attention it needs. Poor oral health can compromise athlete's performance, injury recovery and affect the hard work behind the scene.


Research shows that poor oral health, especially gum disease, can trigger chronic inflammation—the kind that slows muscle recovery, increases injury risk, and undermines overall performance. For professional rugby players, this matters more than ever.


Rugby players in action during a game with a side list highlighting oral health impacts on athlete performance, including reduced training, recovery time, psychological effects, breathing, eating and drinking difficulties, systemic infection risk, dry mouth, and tooth loss.

That’s why we were thrilled at the opportunity to partner with one of New Zealand’s most iconic rugby franchises — the Highlanders — in a pioneering initiative to bring oral health into the heart of players wellbeing.



The Assessment That Sparked Change


It began with a simple question: How healthy are the players’ mouths, really?

We conducted initial assessments across the squad. The findings were clear—many players were unknowingly at high risk for tooth decay a condition that's common among athletes. Poor oral health is not only painful, it can also trigger systemic inflammation and directly affect recovery, immune resilience, and performance on the field.

Visual infographic illustrating oral caries risk in athletes
Player's risk assessment of tooth decay before the programme.

Despite playing at a professional level, and keeping metrics on all sorts of data, oral health wasn’t a formal part of players overall health strategy — until now!



The first of its kind in NZ Rugby


Equipped with better understanding of the impact of oral health on players, and using elite football teams overseas as case studies, the Highlanders took a significant first step. They partnered with EasyDental to launch a formal oral health programme—putting players oral health front and centre.


This is a screenshot of a LinkedIn post from the Highlanders rugby team, publicly acknowledging a recent EasyDental presentation. The post highlights the value of integrating oral health awareness into the team’s high-performance programme. It features images of the players attending the session and engaging with EasyDental content.

  • A clear pathway for players to take action on their oral health, with the EasyDental App supporting education and tracking.

  • Custom oral health content designed for high-performance needs.

  • Regular risk assessments to monitor player progress.

  • Access to trusted dental care providers through EasyDental’s ecosystem—ensuring every player can act on their oral health needs as easily as they do with other aspects of their training.


EasyDental has registered providers spread across New Zealand, making access to care easy whether you are at home or on away games.


rugby players seated in a meeting room, participating in an oral health workshop.
Easy Dental Oral Health Programme at the Highlanders' HQ

This wasn’t about adding more work to players’ routines. It was about giving them tools to remove a hidden barrier to better performance.


The response was immediate


After completing the programme, players took an evaluation survey, showing a clear impact on their oral health awareness, knowledge and commitment.

Infographic showing the impact of an oral health presentation on athlete behaviour and perception

However, the most powerful outcome was the behaviour change: within days following our oral health sessions, our partner dental clinics reported a significant spike in bookings for check-ups, hygiene and treatment compliance.

Players weren’t just learning—they were taking action.

In this image, Maykon Dias is seen explaining dental care concepts to two professional rugby players in an informal setting. He is demonstrating using a dental model, highlighting the practical approach EasyDental takes to educate athletes about oral health. The players are engaged in the conversation, showing interest in how oral health can affect their performance.
Highlander's players visiting a partner practice

Why It Matters


This isn’t just about rugby. It’s about recognising that oral health is whole-body health—and managing it well can give athletes an edge both on and off the field.


We’re proud to help lead this change. We believe the Highlanders’ leadership will inspire other teams—and individuals across New Zealand—to take their oral health seriously.


And the best part? You don’t need to be a professional athlete to take action.

📲 Sign up for EasyDental today. Take your free Gum Disease Risk Assessment. And, rebuild your oral health—one habit at a time


This image shows Maykon Dias, founder of EasyDental, sitting at his desk and smiling while holding up a smartphone that displays the EasyDental app interface. On the screen, the app shows a caries risk assessment, access to Emma the AI dental expert, and dental tracking features. The image conveys the simplicity and user-friendliness of the EasyDental app.
Access to FREE dental care starts with the EasyDental App.

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