Current status of periodontitis and its association with tobacco use amongst adult population of Sunsari district, in Nepal

BACKGROUND: Tobacco products are considered significant, but preventable factors related to initiation and progression of periodontal diseases. We assessed the prevalence of periodontitis and evaluated its association with tobacco use and other factors amongst the adult population of Sunsari district in eastern Nepal. METHODS: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in rural municipalities in the province one of eastern Nepal. A total of 440 adults were interviewed with a set of a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Data on social demographics, adverse oral habits followed by periodontal clinical examination were recorded. Prevalence of periodontitis was assessed by a case definition provided by CDC-AAP. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to measure the association between tobacco use and other factors with periodontitis. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of periodontitis was found to be 71.6%. Majority (85.4%) of tobacco users had periodontitis and they were significantly associated with the disease and its severity. The study identified age groups, 45–65 years (AOR = 7.58, 95% CI 3.93–14.61), plaque accumulation (AOR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02), smoking (AOR = 3.14, 95% CI 1.36–7.27), khaini users (smokeless tobacco, AOR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.12–4.61) and teeth loss (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.21–3.38) as the significant factors associated with periodontitis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of periodontitis is high in the surveyed rural adult population. Cigarette smoking along with the use of smokeless tobacco in the form of khaini were identified as significant factors associated with periodontitis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-021-01416-3.