Periodontitis is one of the most common oral infections induced by bacteria and bacterial products of dental plaque. Cigarette smoking is considered to be a risk factor for periodontitis. However, the exact mechanism by which smoking exerts its deleterious effects on periodontium remains unclear. Therefore the present study was planned to evaluate the relationship between cigarette smoking and periodontal damage in terms of the levels of free radicals and antioxidants. A total of 75 subjects were included in the study. Out of these, 25 were healthy controls, 25 were nonsmoker periodontitis patients and 25 were smoker periodontitis patients. All subjects were screened for serum lipid peroxide, nitric oxide and antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase along with total antioxidant capacity. A significant increase in serum lipid peroxide and nitric oxide with a corresponding decrease in serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity was observed in both groups of periodontitis patients. Further, it was noticed that the oxidant levels were significantly higher and antioxidants were significantly lower in smoker patients than non-smoker patients. Thus, smoking plays a pivotal role in enhancing oxidative burden in periodontitis.