Smoking-Attributable Periodontitis in the United States: Findings From NHANES III

TLDR: It is concluded that smoking is a major risk factor forperiodontitis and may be responsible for more than half of periodontitis cases among adults in the United States.

Abstract: Background: The principal objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and periodontitis and to estimate the proportion of periodontitis in the United States adult population that is attributable to cigarette smoking. Methods: Data were derived from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative multipurpose health survey conducted in 1988 to 1994. Participants were interviewed about tobacco use and examined by dentists trained to use standardized clinical criteria. Analysis was limited to dentate persons aged ≥18 years with complete clinical periodontal data and information on tobacco use and important covariates (n = 12,329). Data were weighted to provide U.S. national estimates, and analyses accounted for the complex sample design. We defined periodontitis as the presence of ≥1 site with clinical periodontal attachment level ≥4 mm apical to the cemento-enamel junction and probing depth ≥4 mm. Current cigarette smokers were ...