A 2022 study1 has found an association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and chronic periodontal disease (CPD). The results were in line with the previous reports and indicated a strong relation between the extent of CPD and ED as men with ED were more likely to have periodontitis than those with normal EF. An association between the severity of ED and CPD was also identified as periodontal damage was increasingly severe with the progress of ED which was in accordance with previous studies.
In 2018, a study2 from the University of Granada (UGR) in Spain also found a correlation between periodontal disease and erectile dysfunction.
The researchers found that 74 percent of patients with ED showed signs of periodontitis. Those with the most severe ED presented the worst periodontal damage, while sufferers of periodontitis were 2.28 times more likely to present ED than patients with healthy gums.
The researchers concluded that chronic periodontitis seems to play a key role as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction, independently of other causes.
An earlier study3, in 2009, concluded that “ED might be associated with CPD in young men. These preliminary findings may encourage investigators to study these less-appreciated risk factors of the cardiovascular spectrum, and general practitioners to ask their patients about their sexual life and oral hygiene.”
The association between periodontal disease and erectile dysfunction is not completely understood.
It is possible that the bacteria linked with periodontal disease could enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation in the blood vessels, resulting in ED.
References
- Huang, Nannan; Li, Chanxiu; Sun, Wenjuan; Yang, Yuhong; Tang, Qian; Xiao, Feng. “Association Between Chronic Periodontal Disease and Erectile Dysfunction: A Case–Control Study.” American Journal of Men’s Health, March 2022. Volume: 16 issue: 2.
<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15579883221084798> -
Martín, Amada; Bravo, Manuel; Arrabal, Miguel; Magán‐Fernández, Antonio; Mesa, Francisco. “Chronic periodontitis is associated with erectile dysfunction. A case–control study in European population.” Journal of Clinical Peridontology. May 2018.
<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpe.12909> - Zadik, Y; Bechor, R; Galor, S; Justo, D; and Heruti, RJ. “Erectile dysfunction might be associated with chronic periodontal disease: Two ends of the cardiovascular spectrum.” Journal of Sexual Medicine. June 2009;6:1111–1116. <https://www.pharmaden.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/23.pdf>
