Cigarette smoking, oral hygiene and periodontal health in Swedish army conscripts.

Possible dissimilarities between smokers and nonsmokers regarding oral hygiene, gingivitis, periodontal pocketing and alveolar bone loss were studied in a sample of 134 army conscripts. Compared to nonsmokers, smokers had a higher plaque index and greater severity of gingivitis, while no differences were found concerning pocket depth and bone loss. It could be demonstrated that the difference regarding gingivitis disappeared when a check was made for plaque values. It still remains to be explained why plaque deposition is more pronounced in smokers.