Introduction

Periodontal diseases are ranked among the most common health problems affecting mankind. These conditions are initiated by bacterial biofilm, which is further modulated by several risk factors.

Objectives

To investigate the association of different risk factors with periodontal disease and related clinical parameters in a sample of Iraqi patients.

Material and methods

Records of 1161 of patients attending the College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad were accessed. The extracted data for each patient included age, gender, smoking status, systemic conditions, and whether using oral hygiene measures or not. Diagnosis and clinical parameters were also recorded including plaque and gingival indices and probing pocket depth.

Results

The analysis showed that patients have more risk of developing periodontitis in association with smoking (OR = 2.40, CI 95%), systemic disease (OR = 2.95, CI 95%), and age (OR = 2.23, CI 95%). In addition, risk of progression to severe periodontitis was highly associated with smoking (OR = 2.40, CI 95%) and neglecting oral hygiene measures (OR = 2.08, CI 95%). Clinical parameters significantly increased in association with smoking, oral hygiene level, and aging.

Conclusions

Smoking and neglecting the oral hygiene regimen were the most profound risk factors for developing periodontitis and progression of periodontitis to a more severe form. This was associated with deterioration of all clinical parameters examined.