Effect of cigarette smoking on periodontal healing following GTR in infrabony defects. A preliminary retrospective study.

This retrospective study examined the effect of cigarette smoking on the healing response following guided tissue regeneration (GTR) in deep infrabony defects. 71 defects in 51 patients underwent GTR with teflon membranes. 20 patients (32 defects) smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day, while 31 patients (39 defects) did not smoke. Clinical measurements were available at baseline, at membrane removal and at the 1-year follow-up. The oral hygiene of both groups was good, but smokers had significantly higher full-mouth plaque scores. No significant differences were observed between smokers and non-smokers in terms of % of tissue gained at membrane removal. At the 1-year follow-up, however, smokers gained significantly less probing attachment level than non-smokers (2.1 +/- 1.2 mm compared with 5.2 +/- 1.9 mm). A multivariate model, correcting for the oral hygiene level of the patients and the depth of the infrabony component, indicated that smoking was in itself a significant factor in determining the clinical outcome. A risk-assessment analysis indicated that smokers had a significantly greater risk than non-smokers to display a reduced probing attachment level gain following GTR. It is concluded that cigarette smoking is associated with a reduced healing response after GTR treatment, and may be responsible, at least in part, for the observed results.