Detection and Quantification of Periodontal Pathogens in Smokers and Never‐Smokers With Chronic Periodontitis by Real‐Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Background: The purpose of the present investigation is to compare the presence and number of periodontal pathogens in the subgingival microbiota of smokers versus never-smokers with chronic periodontitis and matched probing depths (PDs) using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Methods: Forty current smokers and 40 never-smokers, matched for age, sex, and mean PD of sampling site, were included in this investigation. A full-mouth periodontal examination was performed, and a pooled subgingival plaque sample was collected from the deepest site in each quadrant of each participant. To confirm smoking status, expired carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations were measured with a CO monitor. The presence and quantification of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola were determined using RT-PCR.Results: Smokers had greater overall mean PD (P = 0.001) and attachment loss (P = 0.006) and fewer bleeding on probing sites (P = 0.001). An asso...