Method: Eighty smokers or former smokers and twenty non-smokers were randomly selected to comprise the sample. There were included only adult patients above 20 years of age from the UFPI Dental Clinic. The volunteers signed an informed consent, answered a questionnaire of personal health and were examined clinically and radiographically.
Result: The sample was comprised of 46% of men and 54% of women. Among the men sample, 37% were smokers, 58.7% were former smokers, and 4.3% had never smoked. Among the women sample, 22.2% were smokers, 44.4% were former smokers, and 33.3% never smoked. There was a higher prevalence of localized and generalized periodontitis in smokers and former smokers, and it was observed an association between poor oral hygiene (inferred from plaque index) and severity (related to clinical attachment loss) in both genders, and also between gingival index and severity in the three groups. There was periodontal involvement from medium to severe in 86.21% of smokers, 88.23% of former smokers and 65% of non-smokers.
Conclusion: It was concluded that the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in smokers and former smokers is significantly higher than in those who never smoked, reaffirming the harmful effects of smoking to oral health, as well as its association with low education and oral hygiene habits of the sample.