Schedule Appointment
New Patients: 503-647-4565  |   Current Patients: 503-636-2525
Nicholas Dose, DMD Family Dentistry
Decrotive overlay of white triangle

Testosterone Levels Could Have an Impact on Gum Disease

added on: April 25, 2021

Lower TeethResearchers from Texas A&M University’s Baylor College of Dentistry have recently explored the relationship of testosterone levels on gum disease, and they did this using an interesting method – they studied macaque teeth. They found that a lack of testosterone could lead to gum disease, and these results may also translate to human teeth.


About the Study

In this study, researchers inspected the skeletons on five male macaques that had all been castrated. They compared the jaw bones and mandibles to those of macaques that had not been castrated.

They noticed some important results, some of which were noticed by a simple visual exam. All of the macaques that had gone through castration showed signs of advanced gum disease – more so than comparative males who had not been castrated.


About the Findings

These findings were surprising to the researchers, as they did not expect to see such undeniable evidence of the impact of testosterone on oral health. While there has been previous research about the effect of estrogen on craniofacial tissues, it was not expected that testosterone would play such an important role.

This finding raises the possibility that testosterone levels could be important in keeping craniofacial tissues healthy, especially during aging when testosterone and other hormones tend to decline.

Gum Disease is Higher in Men than Women

Now, researchers need to complete further studies to see if testosterone levels have anything to do with the fact that gum disease is more prevalent in men than women. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, about 56.4% of men have gum disease compared to 383.4% of women.

This may also be due to the fact that women tend to go to the dentist more often than women, so it is clear that further studies need to be done in order to get a better idea of how hormones relate to gum health.

Please contact us if you have and questions about gum disease.

About The Author
Dr. Nicholas Dose

Dr. Nicholas Dose grew up in a dental family and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue dentistry. He keeps up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field and is an active member of various dental organizations, where he and his peers discuss dentistry treatments and trends. Among the organizations he is active with are the Academy of General Dentistry, American Society of Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry, Clackamas County Dental Society, American Dental Association, and the Oregon Dental Association.

Posted In: Uncategorized