BMJ  2006;332:1513 (24 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1513-a

Letter

Smoking, Helicobacter pylori, and periodontitis

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—BMJ Updates summarises a fascinating study.^{1 2} It gives further support to the view that the reservoir of Helicobacter pylori in dental plaque on teeth cannot be removed by systemic antimicrobials and is an important potential source of reinfection.³ The link between smoking and periodontitis has become well established over the past 20 years. In addition to exacerbating periodontitis, smoking also interferes with the treatment outcome. The magnitude of the problem was assessed in a recent paper based on NHANES III data, in which the authors found that smokers in the 30-75 age group were six times more likely to have advanced periodontitis.⁴

In patients who smoke and whose gums have been damaged by periodontitis, a reservoir of dental plaque exists not only above the gums, but also below the gums in periodontal pockets. As plaque is a biofilm, organisms in it are protected from systemic antimicrobials and . . . [Full text of this article]

King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's, and St Thomas' Hospitals, London SE1 9RT trevor.watts@kcl.ac.uk

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Rapid Responses:

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chew on a liquorice stick!!

harold jitschak bueno de msquita
bmj.com, 23 Jun 2006 [Full text]

Chew on a liquorice stick? You must be joking!

Trevor LP Watts
bmj.com, 26 Jun 2006 [Full text]

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