Jun 16 2010
The Association of Smoking & Periodontal Disease
The association between psychosocial factors and periodontal disease has been widely reported and might be modified by smoking. A recent study by Professor Chi-Cheng Tsai, DDS, PhD, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, investigated the association of periodontal status with psychosocial factors and smoking in a community population.
Dr. Tsai sampled 11,764 civilian Taiwanese from the general population and came to the conclusion: “Poor mental health had a stronger association with periodontal disease among smokers than among nonsmokers, especially in accumulative attachment loss. His findings suggest that mental health and smoking might have a synergistic effect on the risk of developing periodontal disease.” (1)
Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent diseases in adults and it is influenced by a variety of factors, including age, gender, race, education, psychosocial factors, cigarette smoking and infection. Many recent studies have investigated the influence of psychosocial factors on periodontal diseases and reported that different psychosocial factors, including depression, stress, anxiety, loneliness, negative life events, daily strain, occupational stress, life satisfaction, type-A personality and coping behaviors, were associated with periodontal diseases.
One could conclude from these studies that it is important to pay attention to the factors that appear to be the causes of periodontal disease. Many of these symptoms could be avoided by paying attention to the above mention factors and seeking medical and dental assistance to lessen the probability of getting periodontal disease.
Periodontist like Dr. Anne A. Nicholas can help you avoid periodontal disease, or help you if you are currently dealing with it. The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is located at: 73-929 Larrea Street, Suite 2, Palm Desert, CA. Please feel free to stop by or call 760-340-1030 to schedule an exam. Dr. Ann A. Nicholas offices provide dental services to Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and the entire Coachella Valley.
1. Chiou L-J, Yang Y-H, Hung H-C, Tsai C-C, Shieh T-Y, Wu Y-M, Wang W-C, Hsu T-C. The association of psychosocial factors and smoking with periodontal health in a community population. J Periodont Res 2010; 45: 16–22. _ 2009 John Wiley & Sons.
