Effect of cigarette smoking on periodontal status of healthy young adults

Background: It has been shown that tobacco is a significant risk factor for periodontal disease; however, there have been few studies on young populat ions where problems of general health can be discounted. The purpose of thi s study was to examine the influence of tobacco consumption on the periodon tal condition of a young, healthy population. Methods: The study population consisted of 304 young Caucasian males (avera ge age 19.38 +/- 0.72 years) entering the Armed Forces. All the subjects co mpleted a self-administered questionnaire on age, oral hygiene habits, prev ious dental examinations, and quantity and length of tobacco use, The perio dontal examination consisted of the plaque index (PI); periodontal bleeding index (PBI); probing depth (PD); and clinical attachment level (CAL). One- and 2-way ANOVA was used to compare data recorded between smokers and nons mokers. Results: Forty-six percent of subjects reported that they brushed their tee th at least once a day, but only 13% visited a dentist at least once a year . Over half (53%) were habitual smokers, 43% smoking between 5 and 20 cigar ettes per day; 39% of the smokers had been smoking for less than 5 years. M ean PI was 31.24 +/- 14.88 (27.19 +/- 15.93 for smokers and 35.78 +/- 12.17 for non-smokers), with significant differences between non-smokers and tho se who smoked 5 to 20 cigarettes per day (26.85 +/- 16.11, P<0.0001), Mean PBI was 42.29 +/- 8.43 (non-smokers 44.67 +/- 6.53 and smokers 40.17 +/- 9. 46). Significant differences were found between the PBI of the non-smokers and of those who smoked 5 to 20 cigarettes per day (39.90 +/- 9.64, P<0.000 1). There were also differences in the PBI between those who brushed their teeth once (40.53 +/- 9.61) and twice (44.86 +/- 5.9) a day (P<0.0001). Mea n PD was 1.62 +/- 0.43 mm (non-smokers 1.56 +/- 0.36 and smokers 1.68 +/- 0 .49). Deeper probing depths were recorded among smokers than among non-smok ers, with statistically significant differences (P<0.049); statistically si gnificant differences were also found between those who attended (1.49 +/- 0.50) and those who did not attend (1.65 +/- 0.42) regular dental check-ups (P<0.031). Mean CAL 1.75 +/- 0.41 (non-smokers 1.64 +/- 0.32 and smokers 1 .82 +/- 0.44). Conclusions: It may be concluded that, even at such an early age, tobacco c onsumption affects the periodontal health. It is necessary to inform young smokers of the risk of tobacco use regarding periodontal health.