Relation between smoking and biomarkers of bone resorption associated with dental endosseous implants

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of smoking on pyridinoline concentrations in crevicular fluid collected from around dental implants. Samples of crevicular fluid were collected from 4 sites around each implant and tooth, if present, for a group of 16 patients using methylcellulose strips. Samples were collected from 104 implants and 49 teeth. Eight of the 16 patients were current smokers. Crevicular fluid samples were eluted from methylcellulose strips using phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin and centrifugation. Pyridinoline was quantified using a competitive enzyme immunoassay. Results showed that there were statistically insignificant differences between the amounts of pyridinoline (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) around teeth of nonsmokers versus smokers (0.011 ± 0.003 and 0.014 ± 0.006 nmol/L, respectively). However, the mean (± SD) pyridinoline levels around the implants of nonsmokers (0.012 ± 0.018 nmol/L) were significantly (P <0.01) less than that of smokers (0.030 ± 0.006 nmol/L). These results demonstrate that pyridinoline levels are specifically elevated in the crevicular fluid associated with endosseous dental implants of smokers and suggest that smoking may affect implant success in part through alterations in the levels of bone resorption.