A Comparison of Periodontal Health Status in Smoker, Former Smoker and Non-Smoker Patients

Benedek (Bukhari) Csilla¹, Kovács Mónika¹, Pop M¹, Székely Melinda², Dénes Hanga³, Miklós Zsuzsanna⁴

1 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
2 Department of Morphology of Teeth and Dental Arches, Technology of Dental Prosthesis and Dental Materials, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
3 Dentist, S.C. Sanodent S.R.L., Cluj-Napoca, Romania
4 5th year student, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Objective: The aim of this case-control study was to assess the smoker, former smoker and non-smoker patients’ periodontal status.
Methods: The study was based on a clinical examination of 80 patients (46 female, 34 male) from Tîrgu-Mureș, aged between 16 and 78 years, who were questioned about their smoking habits and oral hygiene. Patients were classified in four groups: non-smokers, former smokers, occasional- and active smokers. The clinical examination evaluated the dental calculus index, papilla bleeding index, Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN), probing depth and gingival recession. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson`s chi-square test.
Results: Statistically significant association between active smokers and non-smokers was found comparing the mean values of the papilla bleeding index and of the depth of periodontal pockets (p=0.0001). No statistically significant differences between active- and non-smokers were found regarding the dental calculus index (p=0.5483). Most of the active smokers (55%) and occasional smokers (65%) smoke less than 5 years. 60% of the active smokers and 35% of the occasional smokers tried to quit smoking.
Conclusions: In our study, most of the typical indicators for periodontal disease showed significantly increased values in investigated smokers compared to non-smokers. The results call for relevant measures for smoking prevention and cessation in Tîrgu-Mureș