Association of tobacco dependence and oral hygiene status

Abstract

Tobacco use has a major public health concern that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Tobacco use has an injurious effect on oral health such as oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders like leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis. Tobacco use has been found to have a strong, chronic and dose dependent effect on periodontal tissues due to poor oral hygiene caused by increased deposit of debris and calculus among tobacco users. This study aimed to find the association between oral hygiene status and tobacco dependence. A retrospective study was conducted using the case records of patients in University hospital. Data on tobacco dependence and oral hygiene status from 150 patient records were collected and analysed for association. Descriptive statistics and chi-square association was done. The mean age of patients in the records was 35 ± 12.44 years and males (14%) had severe tobacco dependence. The mean Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHIS) score was found to be 2.03 ± 1.009 which is interpreted as fair. There was no statistically significant association between oral hygiene status and tobacco dependence (p= 0.157). Tobacco dependence has no role in the oral hygiene status of an individual.