Percentile curves for present teeth in smokers and non-smokers in an adult male population.

The purpose of this study was to obtain percentile curves for present teeth in smokers and non-smokers for use in oral health education. Dental examinations were carried out by two dentists. The number of present teeth in each subject was counted, excluding the third molars. Subjects consisted of 2,283 men aged between 25 and 54 years enrolled in the health insurance union of a bank in Yokohama, Japan. Each subject completed a questionnaire on smoking habits and number of cigarettes smoked. They were classified into two groups: smokers and non-smokers. The mean number of present teeth in both groups was compared with the Mann-Whitney's U test. Smokers had fewer teeth than non-smokers in all age groups (p<0.05). At the age of 50, the 50th percentile for present teeth was 26 for smokers and 27 for non-smokers. However, the 3rd percentile for smokers' present teeth was 20.5 at 40 years of age and 14 at 50 years of age, while for non-smokers it was 22.5 at 40 years of age and 19 at 50 years of age. The 3rd percentile curve for smokers' present teeth decreased in those aged 45 years and over. The percentile curves in this analysis showed a clear difference between the two groups. These data should be made available for use in adult oral health education.