A new study has found that smoking damages the long-term stability of certain oral surgical procedures. The research published recently in the Journal of Periodontology (2007; 78: 1702–1707) found that smokers had less desirable long-term results following periodontal plastic surgery than non-smokers.

The study followed ten smokers and ten non-smokers for two years to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke on the long-term outcomes of a treatment to help soft tissue reattach to the root surface of the teeth.

After two years, residual gum recession around the area which received the surgery was greater in smokers as compared to non-smokers. Studies have shown that smoking can impair the body's ability to heal itself immediately after surgery, but this most recent study also showed that when a patient has periodontal plastic surgery, smoking can restrict the ability of that procedure to stay intact over a long period of time.