Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Periodontal Disease and Prostatitis?

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

The benefit of having a healthy mouth free of periodontal disease is often discussed, particularly with regards to the relationship of periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Now a recent article published in The Journal of Periodontology (JOP) suggested that there is a relationship between men who have periodontal disease and prostatitis! How can that be? The mouth and the prostate gland are obviously nowhere near each other so what’s the connection?

It seems that when men have periodontal disease they often have elevated PSA’s; Prostate Specific Antigens. These antigens are inflammatory markers when at elevated levels indicate prostate irregularities. The study in the JOP involved 35 male patients who had recently had a biopsy performed on their prostates due to elevated PSA levels or due to the identification of a malignancy. These individual also had a comprehensive periodontal examination performed. The study discovered that the men that had both prostatitis and periodontitis had significantly higher PSA levels than those men that either had prostatitis or periodontitis alone.

The belief is that the reduction of periodontal disease can minimize the severity of prostatitis or even possibly prevent its onset. If you have any questions or concerns about your periodontal health, please give us a call at 561-394-9000. We will arrange an appointment for a comprehensive examination. Let us make sure that we are doing everything we can do to help you maintain the best health possible!

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.