A few weeks ago, I discussed how your dental health affects your overall health. A new study from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center has uncovered yet another possible link between dental health and your overall health; this time the link connects oral health and prostate health, specifically prostatitis (prostate gland inflammation).
The researchers compared the clinical attachment level (CAL) marker that indicates periodontitis with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) marker that measures inflammation levels in prostate disease in patients diagnosed with prostatitis. They found that the patients who had high CAL levels also had higher levels of PSA. Nabil Bissada, the Chair of the Department of Periodontics from Case Western said that this discovery could explain cases where the low severity of prostatitis cannot account for the high levels of PSA.
In addition, the researchers found that patients who had the most severe cases of prostatitis also showed signs of gum disease.
Granted, prostatitis only affects 8% of all American men, and the research doesn’t try to claim that gum disease causes prostate disease, but this study is another example of how your dental health will affect your overall health. It can worsen other health conditions, lower your immunity, and of course, cause bad breath and a smattering of other dental problems.
Talk to your dentist (or us) about the condition of your gums to ensure that your own oral health isn’t a detriment to the rest of your body.
If you’re interested in the full report of this study, visit the Journal of Periodontology.