Oral health‐related quality of life and periodontal status according to smoking status

Abstract Introduction Studies evaluating smoking and periodontal status show controversial results regarding the impact on oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQol). The aim was to evaluate the association between OHRQol and periodontal status in patients according to their smoking habit. Methods Cross‐sectional study with a total of 100 patients (31.44 ± 8.50 years, 55% females) answered the short version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP‐14) and underwent a periodontal examination. Associations between periodontal status and total mean OHIP‐14 scores related with smoking habit were analysed with Kruskal–Wallis test. Results Mean percentage of sites with Bleeding on Probing (BOP), Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) and Number of Teeth were significantly different between current smokers ( n = 53) and never ( n = 40) or former smokers ( n = 7; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference for Periodontal Probing Depth (PPD) in relation to smoking status. A total mean OHIP‐14 score of 13.07 was observed for the entire sample. The corresponding total mean OHIP‐14 scores, for current smokers, never smokers and former smokers, were 15, 10 and 13 ( p = 0.280), respectively. The domains social disability and handicap of the OHIP‐14 were worse in current smokers ( p = 0.028 and p = 0.026, respectively). Conclusion Current smoking was associated with a negative influence on OHRQoL in the domain of social disability and handicap. In addition, smokers have worse periodontal status, related to less BOP, greater CAL and fewer teeth than never and former smokers.