Aim:
To evaluate possible effects of smoking on the clinical, biochemical and microbiological outcomes of non-surgical periodontal treatment in GAgP patients.

Methods:
At baseline, whole mouth clinical periodontal measurements consisting probing depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing and plaque index were recorded and these measurements were repeated 1, 3 and 6 months after completion of non-surgical periodontal treatment. Saliva, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood samples were obtained at the same time points. Interleukin- (IL)-17A, IL-17E, IL-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were determined in all samples. Moreover, subgingival plaque samples were obtained and presence, as well as quantities of 11 different bacterial species, were determined.

Results:
Fourteen smoker and 13 non-smoker GAgP patients were included in the present study. There were no significant differences in clinical parameters between the study groups except the higher plaque scores in the non-smoker group at 6-month control (p<0.05). Some differences in the biochemical parameters were found between the study groups (p<0.05). The microbiological analyses indicated more Gram-negative bacteria in the smoker group than the non-smoker group (p <0.05). Moreover, Gram-positive bacteria were more frequent in the non-smoker group than the smoker group at baseline (p<0.05). Gram-negative bacteria repopulated in the smoker group much faster than the non-smoker group (p<0.05).

Conclusion:
Although clinical periodontal parameters revealed no significant differences between the smoker and non-smoker GAgP patients after the non-surgical periodontal treatment, it can be suggested that smoking has negative effects on the biochemical and microbiological outcomes.

Funding:
This study was supported by a grant from the Ege University Research Foundation (Project No: 2014 DIS 013) and funds from the University of Glasgow.