Background:
Recently, road transport has emerged as dominant segment in India's transportation sector. The most widely utilized road transport system in Karnataka is the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) which includes bus drivers who spend most of their time on wheels. This environment wrecks their schedules, disrupts their family life and supplies constant hassle and stress predisposing them to periodontal diseases. They are more likely to use tobacco products. Thus the present study was undertaken to determine the periodontal status of tobacco users and non users among bus drivers of KSRTC, Mangalore division.

Methods:
A cross sectional study was conducted among 328 bus drivers after obtaining clearance from institutional ethical committee. Pilot study was conducted to estimate the sample size and feasibility of the study. Oral examination was done after obtaining informed consent. Data related to prevalence of tobacco use, type of tobacco used and periodontal status was assessed using Community Periodontal Index (CPI).

Results:
Among 328 bus drivers, 167 were tobacco users;73 used smoked form and 94 used smokeless form of tobacco. Bleeding and calculus was found among 52.7% and 24% of tobacco users respectively. Among 161 non users, bleeding was found in 41% and calculus was found in 22% of the study population. The number of subjects with loss of attachment of 4-5 mm was more among tobacco users than non users.

Conclusions:
Prevalence of smokeless form of tobacco among bus drivers was quite high and periodontal status was poor among tobacco users compared to non users. More studies needs to be conducted to find out the underlying cause of predisposition of tobacco usage among bus-drivers. Other parameters like dental caries, mucosal lesions and prosthetic status of the employees needs to be assessed so as to address their treatment needs and to provide comprehensive oral care to this population.