Smoking and periodontal disease

Periodontal disease is considered to be an opportunistic infection as a result of interactions between the causative agents (dental plaque) and the host responses which may be modulated by genetic, environmental and acquired risk factors. Besides being a well-confirmed risk factor in a number of systemic diseases, tobacco smoking has also been associated with periodontal disease. Over the past 10-15 years, more and more scientific data on the impact of smoking on various aspects of periodontal disease and the underlying mechanisms has been published. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the available data in order to give practitioners a better understanding of the relationship between smoking and periodontal disease. Subsequently, they can use some of the information in treatment decisions and give advice to patients who are smokers suffering from periodontal disease.