Relationship between smoking and folic acid, vitamin B12 and some haematological variables in patients with chronic periodontal disease

AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and the serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B(12) and some haematological variables in patients with periodontal disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study base consisted of 88 volunteer patients with periodontal disease, including 45 current smokers in the age range 31-68 years and 43 non-smokers in the range 32-66 years. The clinical parameters included plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Folic acid, vitamin B(12) and haematological variables were determined from peripheral blood samples. RESULTS: PI, PD and CAL means were significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers (p<0.05). The serum folic acid concentration of smokers was lower than that of non-smokers (p<0.05), whereas the white blood cell count was higher in smokers than in non-smokers (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that among patients with periodontal disease the serum folic acid concentration is lower in smokers compared with non-smokers.