Periodontal health in children exposed to passive smoking

Erdemir EO, Sönmez IS, Oba AA, Bergstrom J, Çaǧlayan O. Periodontal health in children exposed to passive smoking. J Clin Periodontol 2010; 37: 160–164. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐051X.2009.01510.x. Aim: To determine (1) the cotinine levels of saliva, urine and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of children in families with and without smoking members and (2) a possible association between the periodontal health of the children and exposure to passive smoking. Material and Methods: The study population comprised of 109 children in the age range 6–12 years. Children were classified as exposed to passive tobacco smoking (PTS‐exposed, n=51) and as unexposed controls (PTS‐unexposed, n=58). Plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded. GCF, saliva and urine samples were also collected. The levels of cotinine in these fluids were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The mean salivary cotinine concentration was significantly increased in PTS‐exposed children compared with PTS‐unexposed children (p