Comparative study on bacterial flora of oral cavity of smokers and non-smokers

Abstract

The oral cavity is a complex heterogeneous microbial habitat. The presence of nutrients, saliva and epithelial debris make the mouth favorable habitat for great variety of bacteria. Cigarette smoking is a public health problem. It decreases the commensal population of oral cavity resulting in an increase of pathogenic microbes. The study was designed to compare the bacterial flora of oral cavity of smokers and non-smokers and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Twelve individuals comprising of 6 smokers and 6 nonsmokers were enrolled for the study. Oral swabs were collected from the oral cavity using sterile cotton swab stick under standard aseptic methods. The specimens were subjected to microscopy and culture. Organisms were identified using standard microbiological techniques. Only Gram positive bacteria were isolated from oral cavity of both smokers and non-smokers. Higher rates of bacteria were isolated from oral cavity of non-smokers (55%) than smokers (45%). Streptococcus species were found to be prevalent in both smokers and non-smokers. Streptococcus mutans (28.57%) and Streptococcus salivarius (28.57%) was found to be the most dominant bacteria in smokers. While Staphylococcus epidermidis (33.33%) was found to be most prevalent bacteria among non-smokers. Our study suggests that smoking may have altered bacterial acquisition. The study also showed the prevalence of potential pathogens and lesser number of commensals in oral cavity of smokers. The presence of potential pathogens may lead to greater susceptibility to oral as well as respiratory infections. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed higher resistivity of bacteria isolated from oral cavity of smokers towards commonly used antibiotics in comparison to non-smokers. This study suggests that campaign against smoking should be intensified and more people should be aware about the effect of smoking on oral microbiome and related diseases.