Relationship between smoking and folic acid, vitamin B-12 and some haematological variables in patients with chronic periodontal disease

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and the serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B-12 and some haematological variables in patients with periodontal disease. Patients and methods: The study base consisted of 88 volunteer patients with periodontal disease, including 45 current smokers in the age range 31-68 years and 43 non-smokers in the range 32-66 years. The clinical parameters included plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Folic acid, vitamin B-12 and haematological variables were determined from peripheral blood samples. Results: PI, PD and CAL means were significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers (p < 0.05). The serum folic acid concentration of smokers was lower than that of non-smokers (p < 0.05), whereas the white blood cell count was higher in smokers than in non-smokers (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that among patients with periodontal disease the serum folic acid concentration is lower in smokers compared with non-smokers.