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VOLUME 15 , ISSUE 3 ( May-June, 2014 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Another Reason for Impeccable Oral Hygiene: Oral Hygiene-Sperm Count Link

Solomon Olusegun Nwhator, Kehinde A Umeizudike, Patricia O Ayanbadejo, Olanrewaju I Opeodu, Joseph A Olamijulo, Timo Sorsa

Citation Information : Nwhator SO, Umeizudike KA, Ayanbadejo PO, Opeodu OI, Olamijulo JA, Sorsa T. Another Reason for Impeccable Oral Hygiene: Oral Hygiene-Sperm Count Link. J Contemp Dent Pract 2014; 15 (3):352-358.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10024-1542

Published Online: 01-12-2014

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2014; The Author(s).


Abstract

Materials and methods

Eighty-six men requiring seminal fluid analysis as part of an on-going investigation for infertility in their spouses were serially recruited into the study. Basic dental and periodontal examination were performed. Each participant was also screened for periodontitis using a lateral flow immunoassay kit which detected levels of active membrane metalloproteinase-8. Results were read-off as a color change. Due to some incomplete entries, only 76 participants were involved in the final data analysis.

Results

There were 55 subjects with subnormal counts (of which ten were found to be azoospermic, 41 oligospermic) and 25 normospermic controls. A positive association was found between periodontitis and subnormal sperm count in only one age group but statistically significant association was found between poor oral hygiene and subnormal sperm count across all age groups.

Conclusion

For the first time, there appears to be a significant association between poor oral and subnormal sperm count. There also appears to an association between chronic periodontitis and subnormal sperm count. These relationships warrant further investigation.

Principal findings

There appears to be a link between poor oral hygiene and low sperm count.

How to cite this article

Nwhator SO, Umeizudike KA, Ayanbadejo PO, Opeodu OI, Olamijulo JA, Sorsa T. Another Reason for Impeccable Oral Hygiene: Oral Hygiene-Sperm Count Link. J Contemp Dent Pract 2014;15(3):352-358.


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