Treating gum disease is important for your oral health, but it has also been shown to benefit overall health and certain conditions. More recently, researchers at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Dental Medicine have examined how gum disease treatment can impact prostate inflammation symptoms, and the results were quite promising.
This research was recently published in the journal Dentistry. The study included 27 men ages 21 and older. Each man had undergone a needle biopsy over the past year, and results showed elevated prostate specific antigen (or PSA) levels and inflammation of the prostate gland.
The men were also asked questions about their quality of life and any problems they had been having with urination. Of these 27 men, 21 had mild to minimal inflammation and 15 had biopsies that confirmed malignancy.
All men involved in the study had at least 18 teeth and moderate to severe gum disease. The men were undergoing gum disease treatment, and after 4-8 weeks of treatment they were tested again. Of the 27 men, 21 had a decrease in PSA levels after they began gum disease treatment, and the men with the greatest amounts of inflammation also benefited from the treatment. It is also important to note that while undergoing this gum disease treatment, none of the men were going through treatment regarding their prostate conditions.
This study has shown some promising results when it comes to men’s health. It indicates that if men have both inflammation of the prostate gland and gum disease, they should consider treating their gum disease in order to potentially reduce inflammation and other conditions of the prostate.
Regardless of whether you have prostate-related symptoms that you are looking to minimize or if you are perfectly healthy, make sure to contact our office today to set up your regular dental exam to look for signs of gum disease.
