Determination of efficacy of root planing in removal of nicotine from periodontally involved teeth of smokers

Background and Aims: Tobacco smoking is now recognized to be an important risk factor for the development and progression of periodontal disease. Nicotine, the major constituent of particulate phase of tobacco smoke, in addition to having its toxic systemic effects, is capable of causing local cytotoxicity. The typical characteristic of smoking-associated periodontal disease is the destruction of the supporting tissues of the teeth, with the ensuing clinical symptoms of bone loss, attachment loss, pocket formation, and eventually tooth loss. The mechanisms behind the destructive effects of smoking on the periodontal tissues, however, are not well understood. This study aimed to detect nicotine from the root surfaces of periodontally involved root surfaces and to compare the quantity of nicotine present on root-planed and non-root-planed surfaces of teeth from smokers. Materials and Methods: 25 periodontally involved extracted teeth were taken from 18 smoker patients. The roots were sectioned longitudinally and each root half was either root planed (group B) or left untreated (group A). Each root half was extracted for nicotine using methylene chloride technique, and quantified using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Statistical analysis: Nicotine concentrations were compared between the root planed ans the non root planed groups using paired t-test. Results: The results showed that nicotine could be detected from the root surface of periodontally involved teeth. The amount of nicotine present on non-root planed sections was statistically significantly higher than on treated sections. Conclusion: Nicotine is present on the periodonatally involved root surfaces of smoker patients and also its concentration can be significantly reduced by thorough root planning.