ABSTRACT
The study was done to identify the association between cigarette smoking and periodontitis in patients reporting to tertiary care dental centre. It is a comparative cross sectional study which was conducted in the Department of Operative Dentistry at Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi. The study was completed in 6 months from Mar 2007 to Sep 2007. 200 patients including 100 smokers and 100 non smokers were selected. Patients were clinically evaluated by measuring the probing depth, clinical attachment level [CAL], tooth mobility and furcation involvement between the two groups. There was a significant association between cigarette smoking and periodontitis. Mean probing depth in smokers was 3.56 and 3.09 in non smokers, mean CAL in smokers was 2.53 and 1.96 in non smokers, mean furcation involvement in smokers was 0.36 and 0.14 in non smokers and mean tooth mobility in smokers was 0.32 and 0.17 in non smokers. There was a marked association between cigarette smoking and periodontitis. The results of this study suggest that cigarette smoking significantly worsen periodontal health and greater probing depth, clinical attachment level, tooth mobility and furcation defects have been found in smokers than in non smokers