Exploring the link between periodontal disease and sperm quality: a comprehensive systematic review study.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review of observational studies
PubMed 40399885 · doi:10.1186/s12903-025-06051-w
What was done
A systematic review registered in PROSPERO searched six databases (PubMed, EMBASE, ProQuest, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) up to September 2024 for human studies examining periodontal health and sperm parameters. Study quality was appraised with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and data were synthesized qualitatively.
What was found
Nine studies with 1,386 total participants met inclusion criteria. Periodontal disease was associated with decreased sperm motility, abnormal sperm morphology, and increased sperm DNA fragmentation. Results for sperm count and sperm concentration were inconsistent across studies. The abstract provides no specific numerical effect estimates or confidence intervals.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that systemic inflammation from chronic periodontal disease may adversely affect male reproductive parameters, indicating oral health evaluation could be a relevant adjunct in male infertility investigations.
Limits
The review synthesized observational human studies, preventing determination of causality. The abstract reports qualitative trends without pooled meta-analytic effect sizes, and unmeasured confounding from shared lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking, metabolic disease) cannot be ruled out.
Cited by
- supports Periodontal disease is associated with impaired sperm quality, reduced fertility potential in women, and an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and preterm birth.