As evidence for the interplay between periodontal and systemic disease grows, severe periodontitis is increasingly being recognised as a risk factor for male-specific conditions such as erectile dysfunction, reduced sperm quality and prostate cancer. Prof. James Deschner, director of the Department of Periodontology and Operative Dentistry at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, has dedicated much of his research to the aetio-pathogenesis of periodontitis and its interactions with systemic health. In this interview with Dental Tribune International, he explains the current state of evidence, discusses how men are specifically affected and outlines how growing knowledge in this field could reshape prevention, diagnosis and interdisciplinary care in the coming years.