Gum disease and tooth decay hit men harder – and now we know why

From the research article's abstract:

> Inflammasome initiates inflammation via the maturation of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). Periodontitis is a prevalent, male-biased disease characterized by inflammation-driven bone loss, yet the mechanism(s) of this sex bias is unknown. This study explored whether enhanced inflammasome represents a causal mechanism for this bias. Analyses of three separate human studies (>6,200 samples) show that males have significantly higher IL-1β...

A quarter-ish century ago, my dentist told me to be a smart sissy, and readily take certain painkillers for dental pain. Because those painkillers were anti-inflammatory, inflammation alone could cost me teeth, and "I was tough" would be a sh*tty consolation for the daily miseries of having fewer teeth as I got older.