Smoking and Oral Health Status

Clinical studies suggest that smokers have a higher than average risk of periodontal disease and poor oral health status. In 2003, the Canadian Community Health Survey — a multistage, nationwide household survey — asked a series of questions related to oral health status. This report is based on the population aged 18 and older who answered the optional module on oral health (33,777 respondents). This subsample represents a weighted population of 23.9 million. The overall survey response rate was 80.6%.In our sample, 24% of respondents were current cigarette smokers, 43% were former smokers and 33% had never smoked. The prevalence of current smoking declined with advancing age and was inversely associated with household income and level of education.