[Male subfertility and oral bacterial diseases]

More than 70% of the husbands consulting the Dept. of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the RWTH Aachen for sterility since June 1987 needed treatment for bacteriospermia with germ concentrations greater than 10(4) cfu/ml ejaculate. In 23% of the treated men however, no convincing reduction of germ concentration were achieved. 36 patients with therapy-resistant bacteriospermia were sent to the Dept. of Dentistry of the RWTH Aachen. A lot of intra-oral foci were found, which got eliminated. Intra-operational bacterial specimens were taken and evaluated by a special diagnostic technique in the Dept. of Microbiology. It was shown that the bacterial spectrum of the intraoral specimens and the spermiograms were identical. Six months after completion of the dental therapy a new andrological examination was performed. Two thirds of the spermiograms now were already sterile. There was an improvement of the spermparameters as well as motility, morphology and density. It can be concluded from these results that there is a direct causal relationship between a symptomatic dental primary disease and bacteriospermia which probably leads to subfertility.