The immediate effects of smoking on gingival fluid flow

The aim of the present study was to examine the immediate effect of smoking a cigarette on gingival crevice fluid (GCF) flow-rate. The study involved 17 healthy volunteers (6 male, 11 female) aged 19-57 years (mean 34.5 years) who regularly smoked cigarettes. All were periodontally healthy. GCF was collected at the mesio-buccal aspects of the right and left maxillary 2nd premolar teeth, using filter-paper strips left in place for 3 min. Samples were taken at baseline and subsequently at 10 min intervals for 70 min. Each subject sham smoked an unlit standard cigarette for 7 min after the 20 min recording, and smoked the same cigarette for 7 min to within 1 cm of the filter, following the 40 min recording. The results showed that following sham smoking (30 min recording) GCF volume increased by a mean of 16.7% (p = 0.057), and following smoking (50 min recording) GCF volume increased by a mean of 89.7%, over the previous recording (p < 0.0001). The increase following smoking was greater than that following sham smoking (p < 0.0001). Flow-rate returned to near resting levels within the experimental period. The results indicate that smoking produces a marked transient increase in GCF flow-rate, which might reflect changes in blood flow known to be produced by nicotine.