The NobleDentist Blog

A study scheduled to appear in the April 2006 edition of the Journal of Dental Research has revealed that male cigarette smokers are almost twice as likely to require root canal treatment. Dr Elizabeth Krall Kaye of Boston University was an author for the study. And she presented the findings of this research in New York at an event supported by the American Medical Association and American Dental Association.

Dental Study Background

• Few published studies have researched smoking as a risk factor for root canal treatment.
• “The largest proportion of endodontic disease, both pulpal and periradicular, is due to the presence of microorganisms,” and “treatment success is related very closely to the ability to remove these irritants and to prevent reinfection,” according to an article by the American Association of Endodontists. This article appeared in the Journal for the American Dental Association in January 2005.
• Studies have found that smokers have more dental caries and impaired responses to infection. This increases their risk for pulpal inflammation and leads to root canal therapy or extraction.

Dental Study Data

• Data was collected from the males participating in an evaluation that began in 1968.
• The oral health of the male participants was tracked for roughly 30 years.
• The male participants were evaluated every 3 years for caries, restorations, periodontal disease, and clinical assessment of calculus and tooth mobility.
• Dental radiographs were taken. And a smoking history of each participant was recorded.
• 811 males were identified with teeth not endondontically treated. Over 3 decades 18,000 teeth were under evaluation. Adjustments were made for recognised risk factors of root canal therapy including the presence of alveolar bone loss score, periradicular radiolucency, crown, dental caries, and age.

Dental Study Findings

• There is a relationship between cigarette smoking and the incidence of root canal treatment. Smokers had a higher incidence of root canal treatment than non-smokers. Those also having smoked for longer periods had a higher incidence of root canal treatment.
• Cigar and pipe smokers were a slightly higher risk for root canal treatment than non-smokers. The results also supported the positive effects of tobacco cessation. The results demonstrated that the risk for root canal treatment decreased with the length of time participants refrained from smoking.


• It is thought that these findings would also be the same for female smokers.

It has been known for sometime that cigarette smoking attributes to coronary heart disease, lung cancer, and oral cancer. This applies whether man or woman. Now we can add root canal treatment to that list. It is important that current and former smokers are aware of the risks that their cigarette smoking poses, even to their teeth.

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