Association between Exhaled Carbon Monoxide and Oral Health Status in Active and Passive Smokers
Supaporn Chatrchaiwiwatana PhD*, Amornrat Ratanasiri PhD**
Affiliation : * Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : Few studies so far have evaluated the association between oral health status and level of carbon monoxide in
the exhaled breath (exhaled CO).
Objective : Evaluate the relationship between oral health status, namely dental caries and periodontitis, and exhaled carbon
monoxide in active and passive smokers.
Material and Method: The analytic cross-sectional study sample comprised of 296 Thai adults, aged 30-72 years, residing
in an urban district of Khon Kaen province, Thailand during the year 2007, who received exhaled carbon monoxide
measurement, oral examination, and interview. Spearman correlation tests were employed to determine the relation between
exhaled carbon monoxide and dental caries. In addition, the relationship between exhaled carbon monoxide and periodontitis
was evaluated using Mann-Whitney U Test.
Results : The results revealed no relationship between exhaled carbon monoxide and oral health status among passive
smokers. Moreover, the relationship between exhaled carbon monoxide and dental caries among active smokers did not exist
when education was adjusted.
Conclusion : There is no relationship between exhaled carbon monoxide and oral health status in both active and passive
smokers.
Keywords : Exhaled carbon monoxide, Oral health, Active smokers, Passive smokers
