Salivary cotinine concentrations and prevalence of periodontal disease in young Japanese women: the Kyushu Okinawa maternal and child health study.

BACKGROUND

The authors investigated the relationship between objectively assessed tobacco smoke exposure and periodontal disease.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 1,103 women with a mean age of 31.5 years. Information on potential confounding factors was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Periodontal disease was defined as positive if a woman had at least one tooth with a probing depth of ≥ 3.5 mm. Exposure to tobacco smoke was determined based on salivary cotinine concentration. Adjustment was made for age, region of residence, household income, education, toothbrushing frequency, and use of an interdental brush.

RESULTS

The prevalence of periodontal disease was 11.3%. Salivary cotinine concentration was independently positively associated with the prevalence of periodontal disease: the adjusted odds ratio for every 1-unit (ng/mL) increase in salivary cotinine was 1.004 (95% confidence interval: 1.000 to 1.007).

CONCLUSION

Salivary cotinine concentrations were positively associated with the prevalence of periodontal disease among young women.