Effect of cigarette smoking on the periodontal health status: A comparative, cross sectional study

CONTEXT: Survey. AIMS: The objective of the study was to evaluate the periodontal health status among cigarette smokers and non cigarette smokers, and oral hygiene measures. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 400 male (200 cigarette smokers and 200 non smokers) aged 18-65 years. The subjects were randomly selected from the patients attending dental out-patient department of civil hospital and Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar. Community Periodontal Index (CPI) score was recorded for each patient and a questionnaire was completed by each patient. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi square and t-test. RESULTS: Periodontal condition as assessed by CPI score showed that there was statistically significant difference in the findings between cigarette smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limits of this study, positive association was observed between periodontal disease and cigarette smoking. It was found that cigarette smoking was associated with lesser gingival bleeding and deeper pockets as compared to non-smokers.