A study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that patients who smoke tobacco have a more rapid rate of plaque deposition and development of gingivitis than those patients who do not smoke tobacco. Twenty subjects participated in this study, their age range was 17 to 30 years. Ten were smokers and 10 were nonsmokers. After an initial thorough removal of all deposits, oral hygiene measures were stopped for 10 days. On days 3, 7 and 10, plaque levels were evaluated using the Plaque Index and the gingival status was evaluated using the Gingival Index. Samples of plaque were stained by the Gram technique and examined microscopically. Plaque levels appeared to be higher in smokers than nonsmokers but the differences were not statistically significant. No consistent differences were evident in the gingival status of the two groups. Microbiological analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the percentage of Gram-positive bacteria to Gram-negative bacteria in the smokers as compared to the nonsmokers on day 3, however these differences were not maintained in the plaque samples taken after the 3rd day.

The participants in this study were 151 women; 49 of these had been taking oral contraceptives for over 5 years, 63 had been taking oral contraceptives for less than 5 years, and 39 formed the control group. It was found that there was a statistically significant increase in gingival inflammation related to the duration of drug therapy. There were no significant differences in level of attachment between the groups of subjects.There have been several studies concerning the effect of oral contraceptives on the gingiva and periodontal tissues. These drugs act by altering the level of estrogen and progesterone. El-Ashiry et al.1 found that there was an increase in clinically assessed inflammation for subjects taking oral contraceptives. Lindhe and Björn2 showed that gingival fluid flow increased during the first 6 months of such medication, and that this was not associated with an increase in dental plaque. The study by Knight and Wade3 found no significant differences between Plaque Index, Gingival Index or loss of attachment between subjects taking oral contraceptives and control subjects. However, there was a trend for subjects who had taken the hormonal drugs for more than 1.5 years to show a higher Gingival Index and more loss of periodontal attachment than those who had taken drugs for less than 1.5 years or those who were not taking hormones. A recent study by Kalkwarf4 has shown that there was no significant difference in the severity of inflammation between subjects taking various combinations and concentrations of hormones although there was significantly more severe gingival inflammation in the group taking oral contraceptives than in the control group.In light of these findings, it was decided that there was a need for longer studies into the gingival status of subjects taking oral contraceptives, and that more work was required to evaluate the effect of these drugs on the periodontal attachment. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the inter-relationship between the responses of the periodontal tissues to plaque in subjects who had been taking oral contraceptives for various periods of time compared with control subjects.The participants in the present study were females between the ages of 18 and 40 years who were attending the Margaret Pyke Centre, London. The subjects were divided into three groups: those who had used oral contraceptives regularly but for less than 5 years; those who had used contraceptives regularly for more than 5 years, and a control group who used an alternative form of contraception. For inclusion in the control group it was stipulated that the subjects must have either never used hormonal contraceptives, or alternatively have terminated a course of therapy of less than 1 year's duration more than 12 months previously.Additional requirements for inclusion in the study were as follows: the subjects were neither pregnant at the time of examination, nor had they been pregnant in the preceding year. The medication being taken by the subjects in the experimental group were ...

A test group of 22 subjects who had been taking non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs for periods in excess of one year were matched with a control group of 22 office workers with reference to age and Plaque Index. It was found that the test group had significantly lower values of Gingival Index and shallower depths of pockets than the control group of subjects. There was a trend also for there to be less loss of attachment in the test group. These results were interpreted as indicating that anti‐inflammatory drugs may influence the response of the periodontal tissues to plaque by reducing the prostaglandin concentration in the tissues. The slight decrease in loss of attachment in the test group may also be explained by the reduction in prostaglandin synthesis in the subjects taking anti‐inflammatory drugs.