Periodontal Disease
and
Prostate Issues
Are Periodontal Disease and Prostate Issues Linked?
Recently, there has been clinical research done which indicates that there may be a link between gum disease and issues with the prostate. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, as well as the University Hospital's Case Medical Center have been studying this issue. They have now reported the initial results from a small sample group that there is, in fact, a link between the inflammation from gum disease and prostate problems. This research is preliminary; however, so it is important to remember that a final conclusion as the severity level of the "link" between the two has yet to be determined. That will only come with time.
The research that was conducted compared two different markers: 1) the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is used to measure inflammation levels in prostate disease, and 2) the clinical attachment level (CAL) of the gums and teeth, which can be an indicator for periodontitis. A (PSA) elevation of 4.0ng/ml in the blood can be sign of inflammation or malignancy. People with healthy prostate glands normally have (PSA) levels that are lower than 4.0ng/ml. A (CAL) number greater than 2.7mm would indicate that periodontitis is present. Periodontitis is similar to prostatitis from the standpoint that it also produces high inflammation levels.
The research indicated that subjects with both high (CAL) levels and moderate to severe prostatitis have a higher level of (PSA) or inflammation. This might explain why (PSA) levels can be so high in prostatitis but yet cannot be scientifically explained, based on what is happening in the prostate glands. Researchers think that it is something outside of the prostate gland that is causing some type of inflammatory reaction. It has already been established that periodontitis has been linked to heart disease; diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis; which is exactly why these researchers felt compelled to determine whether a link might exist with prostate disease.
There were thirty-five men (out of a sample of 150 patients) that qualified for the study, which was funded by the department of periodontology at the dental school. The participants all had mild to severe prostatitis and were patients at the University Hospital's Case Medical Center. All of them had undergone needle biopsies and were found to at least have inflammation; some even having malignancies. To be involved in the study, the patients had to fall into one (or both) of those categories. Two groups were formed: 1) the participants with high (PSA) levels for moderate or severe prostatitis or a malignancy and, 2) those with a (PSA) level that was below 4.0ng/ml. None of them had any dental work done in the last three months and they were all given an examination to measure the gum health. The researchers from the dental school, the department of urology and the Institute of Pathology at the hospital found that those with the most severe form of prostatitis also showed signs of periodontitis. Discovering this important link may allow (encourage) doctors and dentists to start working together more closely, in an effort to diagnose and prevent many types of serious diseases, much earlier than they previously have. This new evidence seems to suggest that doctors and dentists really do need to be working more closely together, in a concerted effort to save and improve more lives.
We hope you find this web site useful and invite you to contact Dr. Garpetti with your questions at any time.
Call us at 208-377-2160
