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"   Many things can affect a guy&amp;#039;s ability to, um, rise to the occasion: poor diet, lack of exercise, first-time nerves... . But now researchers have found another, more unexpected factor to add to this list: the health of a dude&amp;#039;s gums. Seriously. According to a new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, men with severe periodontal disease, which is usually marked by inflamed gums, are three times more likely to have erection issues than guys with healthy gums. Researchers compared 80 men with erectile dysfunction to 82 men who can stand at attention no problem and found that 53 percent of the guys with ED had inflamed gums compared with just 23 percent in the control group. So next time you go out on a first date, you just might want to add &amp;quot;dental hygiene&amp;quot; to your list of qualities to size up. Sure, it might be a bit awkward to sneak, So, how often to you go to the dentist? into casual conversation, but, hey, it could be worth it in the end.  (Luckily, a dude&amp;#039;s breath can typically tip you off as to how healthy his gums are\u2014though, if you smell something majorly funky, you might want to rethinking dating him anyway.)  Want more from Natasha? Follow her on Twitter @NatashaBurton or find her on Facebook. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a10990/why-a-guys-smile-matters/>