Effects of Smoking and Treatment Status on Periodontal Bacteria: Evidence That Smoking Influences Control of Periodontal Bacteria at the Mucosal Surface of the Gingival Crevice

Abstract

Smoking-associated periodontitis is not simply a reflection of oral cleanliness. Smoking extends a favorable habitat for bacteria such as P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans to shallow sites (< or =5 mm). Molecular byproducts of smoking interfere with mechanisms that normally contain growth of damaging bacteria at the surface of the oral mucosa in gingival crevices. In this way, smoking can promote early development of periodontal lesions.

Tobacco Smoking and Periodontal Health in a Saudi Arabian Population

“…On the other hand, other studies have not shown a difference between smokers and non-smokers with established periodontal disease (Preber et al 1992, Eggert et al 2001, Salvi et al 2005, Buduneli et al 2005). …”

Poor patient awareness of the relationship between smoking and periodontal diseases

“…3 In susceptible patients, the clinical effects of smoking are dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked daily and the duration of the habit. 4 The consequences may involve the vascular effect of nicotine 5 and the enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines.…”

Neutrophils alter epithelial response to Porphyromonas gingivalis in a gingival crevice model.

“…Again, this is in keeping with multiple studies showing that, relative to non-smokers, smokers are more likely to be infected with P. gingivalis, to be infected with higher numbers of this bacterium, and to exhibit more persistent infection by this pathogen (Zambon et al, 1996;Kamma et al, 1999;Eggert et al, 2001;Haffajee & Socransky, 2001). …”