Exposure to tobacco smoking and periodontal health.
BACKGROUND
The influence of smoking behavior on the periodontal health condition was clinically and radiographically studied in 257 dentally aware adults in the age range 20-69 years, including 50 current smokers, 61 former smokers and 133 non-smokers.


OBJECTIVE
The clinical variables to be investigated were frequency of diseased sites > or =4 mm, frequency of gingival bleeding sites and plaque index. In addition, the periodontal bone height was radiographically assessed as a % of the dental root length.


METHODS
All variables were based on full-mouth examinations including all teeth and periodontia.


RESULTS
The observations indicated an inferior periodontal health condition associated with smoking. This was evidenced by a significantly greater frequency of diseased sites and a significantly greater reduction of periodontal bone height in current smokers as compared to non-smokers. The condition of former smokers was intermediate between current smokers and non-smokers, suggesting that former smokers who have quit smoking have a better periodontal health condition than current smokers, although worse than that of non-smokers. The finding that former smokers exhibited less disease than current smokers suggests that smoking cessation may be beneficial and mitigate the untoward effects inflicted by smoking, allowing a normalization towards non-smoker conditions. Heavy exposure was consistently associated with more severe a condition than light exposure, suggesting that the relationship between smoking exposure and periodontal morbidity is dose-dependent.


CONCLUSIONS
Altogether, the present observations identify a negative impact from smoking on periodontal health and provide further evidence that tobacco smoking is an avoidable risk for periodontal disease.
Bergström
J
J
Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, The Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Eliasson
S
S
Dock
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D011859:Radiography; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation