The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate whether gingivitis susceptibility is associated with periodontitis. We analyzed data of 462 men in the VA Dental Longitudinal Study aged 47 to 92 years who had never smoked or had quit smoking 5+ years previously. Multiple logistic regression models, with tooth-level bleeding on probing at sites with attachment loss<or=2 mm as the dependent variable, were derived with adjustment for plaque, calculus, crown coverage, age, income, education, marital status, body mass index, diabetes, and vitamin C intake, and stratification by age (<65, 65+ years). Periodontitis and mean attachment loss were positively associated with bleeding on probing, with stronger associations among men<65 years old (for periodontitis, OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.5, 3.1) than men 65+ years of age (OR 1.2; 95% CI 0.9, 1.6). Our results suggest that among never and former smokers, gingivitis susceptibility is higher among men with periodontitis compared with that in men without periodontitis.