Correlation between smoking and severity of periodontal disease in patients with periodontitis in Kerman

Introduction: Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease of dental supporting tissues caused by bacteria, leading to inflammation, irreversible gum attachment loss, and alveolar bone destruction and eventually tooth loss. While infection is a necessary prerequisite for developing periodontitis, its course and severity depend on a number or factors including inheritance, health behaviors and environmental conditions. Smoking is one the major environmental factors in acquiring periodontitis. The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of smoking on severity of periodontal disease in 20-50 years old patients referred to Kerman health centers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study conducted on 384 20-50 years old patients with chronic periodontitis, referred to health centers that were selected by multistage sampling. Data collection was done by questionnaire and clinical examination of patients. The questionnaire included demographic data and tobacco use in form of cigarette and hookah. Patients were clinically examined by flat dental mirror and Williams probe. Data were analyzed by Chi-Square and ANOV tests. Results: There were 39.4% men and 60.6% women with mean age of 28.3%&plusmn;6.22 years old. 39% and 17.9% subjects used cigarette and hookah, respectively. The clinical attachment loss was as follows: 3.5 millimeters or less in 41.1%, 3.5-5.5 millimeters in 48.4% and more than 5.5 millimeters in 10.4% of cases. A statistically significant correlation was observed between severity of periodontal disease and both of cigarette and hookah use (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results show that tobacco must be considered as an important risk factor in treatment plan of patients with periodontitis. &nbsp;