Alcohol Consumption, Smoking Linked to Periodontitis

Over the past decade, conflicting results have been found on an association between alcohol use and periodontitis. A study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, set out to investigate this link more fully and found that the prevalence of periodontitis is very high among alcohol users, and the risk significantly increased in drinkers who also smoked.

The cross-sectional study included 542 men and women in Brazil between the ages of 35 and 55 with similar socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. The subjects self-reported their alcohol and tobacco use, and underwent a periodontal examination that included assessment of probing depth, clinical attachment levels, bleeding on probing, lost teeth, and plaque index.

Among the subjects, the researchers found that those who used alcohol most frequently were 24% to 53% more likely to have periodontitis. The authors assert that increased frequency of alcohol consumption correlates directly to the prevalence and severity of periodontitis, especially among smokers. This relationship may be an important consideration when developing preventive oral health care strategies for patients who drink and smoke.