Abstract
Background and aims. Smoking is a risk factor for periodontal disease. It has been documented that smoking impairs response
to periodontal therapy. The aim of this study was clinical comparison of treatment response patterns following non-surgical periodontal
therapy in non-smokers (NS) and passive smokers (PS) with chronic periodontitis.
Materials and methods. Eighty adult patients (40 NS and 40 PS) with mild to moderate periodontitis were treated with fullmouth
subgingival scaling and root planing. Clinical parameters evaluated included probing depth, clinical attachment level,
bleeding on probing, and plaque index, collected at baseline, and at 3- and 6-month intervals.
Results. In comparison with the baseline data, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in all the parameters
after 3 and 6 months. Full-mouth plaque and bleeding scores at 6 months did not demonstrate any significant differences between
the two groups (P = 0.36 and P = 0.69, respectively). However, the inter-group differences after 6 months were statistically significant
with regard to probing depth and clinical attachment level measurements (P = 0.001).
Conclusion. Results demonstrated that response to non-surgical periodontal therapy in non-smokers is better than that in passive
smokers.