Gingival recession treatment with connective tissue grafts in smokers and non-smokers.
BACKGROUND
Cigarette smoking can adversely affect the results of many periodontal procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cigarette smoking affects wound healing of subepithelial connective tissue grafts.


METHODS
Seventeen systemically healthy patients with 22 Miller Class I or II mucogingival defects were divided into a non-smoker group or smoker group. Patients were regarded as smokers if they reported smoking 10 to 20 cigarettes per day. The following parameters were documented at the surgery date and 3 and 6 months postoperatively: recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), keratinized gingiva height measured apico-coronally (KG), relative attachment level (RAL), probing depths (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and the full-mouth plaque score (FMP). Salivary cotinine samples were taken at the surgery to confirm the smoking history and to quantify cigarette use.


RESULTS
Non-smokers (0- to 10-ng/ml cotinine level) healed with statistically more recession coverage than the smokers (>10-ng/ml cotinine level) (98.3% versus 82.3%, respectively; P=0.001). Six months postoperatively, the non-smokers healed with a 0.2-mm mean recession depth compared to a 1.0-mm mean recession depth for the smokers. This difference in recession depth was statistically significant (P=0.014).


CONCLUSIONS
Root coverage with connective tissue grafts appears to be negatively associated with cigarette smoking. Smokers should consider smoking cessation or reducing the use of cigarettes for optimal results with connective tissue grafts.
Erley
Kenneth J
KJ
U.S. Army, Fort Gordon, GA 30905, USA.
Swiec
Gary D
GD
Herold
Robert
R
Bisch
Frederick C
FC
Peacock
Mark E
ME
D000328:Adult; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D003367:Cotinine / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000637:transplantation*; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000601:surgery*; D005893:Gingivoplasty / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014945:Wound Healing
D003367:Cotinine