Rise to the Occasion: Brush and Floss Your Teeth
Priapism, a painful condition which causes a long lasting erection, is becoming more and more common in emergency rooms throughout the country. According to the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers examined a database of U.S. emergency room visits from 2006 to 2009. Based on their statistics, they estimated that ER doctors treat an average of 10,000 cases of priapism each year (it’s not clear how many are men who needed to be treated more than once) and an estimated $124 million is spent treating the condition annualy.
Is there a relationship between chronic periodontitis and erectile dysfunction?
Sickle cell disease and impotence drugs such as Viagra are two of the leading causes of priapism, but a new study believes there could be another cause. Inflamed gums. In what is believed to be the first study of its type, Turkish researchers compared a group of 80 men, 30-40 years of age, with erectile dysfunction to a control group of 82 men who did not have erectile difficulties.
The results showed that 53% of the men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums from periodontitis, while only 23% of the control group had inflamed gums. When they took a closer look at the numbers, it was concluded that men with severe periodontal disease were 3x more likely to suffer erectile problems than the men with healthy gums.
While priapism can be treated, however, prevention could be as simple as good oral health. So all you men out there, make sure you are brusing and flossing daily.
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