Erectile Dysfunction Might Be Associated With Chronic Periodontal Disease
July 3rd, 2009
The holistic approach to human’s problems has already proved its efficiency. We can’t divide our body into absolutely different systems and functions. All of them depend one on another. A deeper study into the subject can discover ways to find or prevent one disease by other disease symptoms. The same can be said about erectile dysfunction and chronic periodontal disease. First steps into the problem has already been done.
Five scientists, Drs. Heruti, Bechor, Justo, Galor and Yehuda Zadik, have organized a study to develop knowledge about the connection between erectile dysfunction and chronic periodontal disease subject. The total number of studied persons was 815 Israeli male adults. 350 of them had complete date and it was considered appropriate to include them in the statistical analysis.
It was interesting to find out that in the analyzed number of persons only 2.1% without erectile dysfunction had proved to have advanced periodontal disease. 9.8% of the analyzed people had mild erectile dysfunction and the same advanced periodontal disease. The last obtained number was 15.8%, and it was representing the percent of persons with moderate or severe erectile dysfunction and advanced periodontal disease.
In fact, when talking about advanced periodontal disease we mean a recession of periodontal bone of 6 mm or even more. The main problem of the study is that the analyzed group of persons is relatively small and not enough to say something for sure. Some large-scale study is needed to continue establishing the association between erectile dysfunction and advanced periodontal disease. Fortunately, it’s already being planed and the scientists do everything possible to confirm their earlier results.
The idea of studying this subject is based on some previous findings of DNA of periodontal pathogenic bacteria in athermanous plaques and the epidemiological association between periodontal disease and coronary heart morbidity. Many world wide researches has proved that erectile dysfunction is an early sign of coronary heart disease.
That’s why there are reasons to think that extra-oral inflammation induced by periodontal bacteria might be associated with atherosclerosis and dysfunction of vessels. Firstly are considered small vessels, such as the penile vasculature, then larger ones such as the coronaries. However, there are needed laboratory studies to be absolutely sure about data correctness.
Even if practical recommendations are still not possible to make, because of lack of trustful information, there are things we can’t deny. One of them is that oral and periodontal health conditions as well as sexual function are parts of the same complex system, called human’s body. People should remember that their problems can’t be analyzed apart.
Both conditions have strong connections with other diseases like coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus. It should allow healthcare providers detect future problems by paying attention to early signs of impaired health, and reducing the percent of dangerous consequences.
Categories: Dental News, Gums
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