Cigarette smoke reduces short chain fatty acid production by a Porphyromonas gingivalis clinical isolate.

There is high disparity in the SCFA profiles of variant chronic periodontitis-associated bacteria, while CSE exposure reduces SCFA production by a specific clinical strain of P gingivalis. If the latter phenomenon occurs in vivo, a reduced SCFA burden may help explain the reduced vascular response to dental plaque in tobacco smokers.