A recent study shows that men in their 30s with inflamed gums caused be severe periodontal disease are three times more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. Researched compare 80 men ages 30 to 40 with erectile dysfunction with the control group of 82 men without the problem. Their sexual function and periodontal health were assessed and they have found that 53% of men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums compared to 23 % of the control group. The study authors adjusted the results for other factors such as age and body mass index and found that the men with severe periodontal disease were almost 3.5 times more likely to suffer from erection problems than men with healthy gums.
Unfortunately periodontal disease is a silent one, just like high blood pressure, it doesn’t hurt in its beginning staged. And it’s really hard to make our male patients to take care of their gum tissue and floss. But this is the kind of research that can just help the men of America to think: “Well now this is the real reason to floss!”