Relationship of Cigarette Smoking to Dental Caries in a Population of Female Inmates

This study investigates the relationship of cigarette smoking to dental caries among female inmates of a federal correctional institution. Two-hundred inmates (age range 19-62) entering the institution were given an oral examination and a self-administered questionnaire. A high percentage, 64%, of inmates were current or former smokers. In the bivariate analyses, tobacco use, as measured by the number of pack-years smoked, was significantly correlated with a higher DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index (r = .46, p < .0001). The difference in mean DMFT scores for current smokers and nonsmokers, 12.1 (SD = 7.0) and 10.1 (SD = 7.4), respectively, was significant (p = .02). In the multiple regression analysis, sociodemographic and sociobehavioral risk indicators (age, country of birth, number of pack-years smoked, consumption of coffee or tea with sugar, and the perception of risks of oral cancer from smoking) explained 41% of the variance in the DMFT index. Although this study did not establish a causative relationship, cigarette smoking was shown to be associated with the experience of caries.