A new study indicates that patients who smoke may see a negative outcome to their oral surgery procedures and may be better off without their cigarettes.
The long-term results for smokers undergoing oral surgery procedures were poorer than those for non-smokers, according to researchers from the American Academy of Periodontology.
The study evaluated the effect of smoking on dental procedures by watching the progress of twenty individuals, ten smokers and ten non-smokers.
The patients were all undergoing treatment to help reattach soft tissue to the root surface of their teeth.
After two years, smokers were found to display a higher level of residual gum recession than non-smokers, say researchers, a finding which indicates that cigarette use made the procedure less successful. The study was published in the Journal of Periodontology.
Smokers who undergo periodontal plastic surgery need to be advised of the potential negative impact of smoking on their outcomes, according to Preston Miller, Jr. president of the American Academy of Periodontology.
The cost of repeating surgery because smoking ruined the original job should encourage patients to go through a programme to stop smoking before their surgery, he says.