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Smoking is a major risk factor for a variety of medical disorders including lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. Further, smoking has been identified as a primary risk factor for a number of oral diseases including oral (squamous cell) cancer and periodontitis.
Here is a list of the clinical periodontal findings in patients who smoke:
- Reduced tissue inflammation.
- Gingival tissue can be fibrotic.
- Probing depths are increased.
- Gum recession noted.
- Poor response to conservative therapy (scaling and root planing)
- Poor response to periodontal surgery.
What to remember: Clinical studies have indicated that smokers do not respond as well to periodontal therapy as nonsmokers! The mechanisms that account for these clinical finding are not defined, but they may be related to reduced oxygen in the environment or the toxic effects of one or more of the many chemicals in smoke.
Another important exposure to smoking is referred to as passive smoking and includes environmental exposure (e.g. living near someone who is an active smoker). The passice smoker inhales smole as a result of its presence in the environment. Recently, Yamamoto & al from Osaka University, Japan, examined the relationship of both active and passive smoking to the presence of periodontitis. They have identified passive smoking as a risk factor for periodontitis
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