TOOTH OF THE MATTER

WHAT the state of your teeth reveals about your health. This week: Impotence A REVIEW of studies last year concluded that erectile dysfunction was most common in men with gum disease. And a paper recently published in the journal Dental Update directly linked gum disease with poor sperm mobility and difficulty with conception. Christopher Eden, a consultant urologist at The Royal Surrey County Hospital, explains: ‘In theory it is possible that a local gum infection could get into the blood and make the blood more likely to clot, so blocking blood flow to the genital area.’ ‘On the other hand, it may be that erectile dysfunction and gum disease are linked because of lifestyle.’