Cigarette Smoking in a Periodontal Practice

Abstract

This case‐control study compares the prevalence of cigarette smoking among patients in a periodontal practice (cases) with that of patients in referring general dental practices (controls). Smoking histories of patients (age ≥25 years) in a periodontal practice and five general dental practices were obtained by questionnaire. From the general practices, only patients reporting negative histories for Periodontitis were studied. Periodontal status of the periodontal practice patients was based on bone loss from full mouth radiographic surveys and gingival pocket depths. Patients were stratified by age (25 to 40, 41 to 55, and >55 years) and sex. The combined frequency of current or former cigarette smoking reported by 196 periodontal practice patients with moderate or advanced Periodontitis (M‐A perio group) was higher than that reported by 209 general dental practice patients (gen prac group) in all age and sex catagories. The age and sex adjusted summary odds ratio for a positive smoking history among M‐A perio subjects relative to gen prac subjects was 2.6 (P P P 10 cigarettes/day) relatively more often than control subjects (adjusted R.O. = 5.7; P J Periodontol 1992;63:100‐106.