Abstract
BackgroundSmoking is a risk factor for periodontitis. To clarify the contribution of smoking to periodontitis, it is essential to assess the relationship between smoking and the subgingival microflora. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the influence of smoking on the microflora of Japanese patients with periodontitis.MethodsSixty-seven Japanese patients with chronic periodontitis (19 to 83 years old, 23 women and 44 men) were enrolled in the present study. They consisted of 30 smokers and 37 non-smokers. Periodontal parameters including probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) and oral hygiene status were recorded. Detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum/periodonticum, Treponema denticola and Campylobacter rectus in subgingival plaque samples was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Association between the detection of periodontopathic bacteria and smoking status was analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis and chi-square test.ResultsA statistically significant association was found between having a PPD ≥ 4 mm and detection of T. denticola, P. intermedia, T. forsythia, or C. rectus, with odds ratios ranging from 2.17 to 3.54. A significant association was noted between BOP and the detection of C. rectus or P. intermedia, and smoking, with odds ratios ranging from 1.99 to 5.62. Prevalence of C. rectus was higher in smokers than non-smokers, whereas that of A. actinomycetemcomitans was lower in smokers.ConclusionsWithin limits, the analysis of the subgingival microbial flora in smokers and non-smokers with chronic periodontitis suggests a relevant association between smoking and colonization by the specific periodontal pathogens including C. rectus.
Highlights
Smoking is a risk factor for periodontitis
Umeda et al [17] reported that current smokers displayed an increased risk for harbouring Treponema denticola in periodontal pockets, and that the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Eikenella corrodens or Fusobacterium nucleatum and smoking increased the risk of having a mean pocket depth of ≥ 3.5 mm
The seven periodontopathic bacteria were detected from 20% to 75% of the sites tested, with the detection rate for P. gingivalis being highest (75%)
Summary
Smoking is a risk factor for periodontitis. To clarify the contribution of smoking to periodontitis, it is essential to assess the relationship between smoking and the subgingival microflora. Zambon et al [16] reported that smokers had significantly higher levels of, and were at greater risk of infection by Tannerella forsythia, in a study on 798 subjects with different smoking histories. They showed that smokers were 2.3 times more likely to harbour this periodontal pathogen than former smokers or non-smokers, after adjusting for disease severity. Other studies [13,19] found that both smokers and non-smokers exhibited similar subgingival microflora, suggesting that smoking has limited influence on the microflora involved in periodontal disease. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the influence of smoking on the microflora of Japanese patients with periodontitis
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