Relationship between smoking and periodontal probing pocket depth profile.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate if the periodontal probing pocket depth profile differs significantly between smokers and non-smokers as well as within the smoking group. Subjects born 1940-1943 were collected from a computer database at a specialist clinic of periodontology. The patients included consisted of 293 individuals between 57 and 64years of age examined by nine periodontists. The periodontal probing depth at site level, age, gender and smoking habits were collected from the database. Former smokers and patients with an uncertain history of smoking habits were excluded. The smokers were stratified into three groups according to the daily consumption of cigarettes (1-10 cig/day, 11-20 cig/day, > 20 cig/day). The relative frequencies of periodontal probing pocket depths of 4-5 mm and > or = 6 mm were calculated and these two categories were used in the analyses. The partial correlation coefficients between smoking and the percentage share of periodontal pocket depths in different tooth regions were calculated by using multiple regression analyses. The smokers had significantly deeper periodontal pockets compared to the nonsmokers. The correlation between smoking and the percentage share of palatal periodontal pockets > or = 6 mm was significant. The percentage share of palatal pockets > or = 6 mm was significantly increased for subjects who smoked > 20 cigarettes per day (25%) compared to non-smokers as well as compared to subjects with a daily consumption of 1-20 cigarettes per day. This difference was significant within all tooth groups in the upper jaw. The results support the hypothesis that smoking has a local effect on periodontal pocket depth beside the systemic effect.