Posted on October 12, 2007 in Latest News
It is generally accepted among the general public that smoking has fatal effects on our cardiovascular system and other important organs of the body. But it can equally affect our oral health. Perhaps the most serious oral condition that can arise from smoking is oral cancer.
However, smoking also increases the risk of other serious oral diseases, some of which are almost completely exclusive to smokers.
Smoking is a main factor for gum disease. Tobacco reduces blood flow to the gums, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients that allow gums to stay healthy, and leaving them vulnerable to bacterial infection.
Studies on Smoking and Oral Health show that, cigarette smoking may play a major role in more than half the cases of severe gum disease in adults. Current smokers were about four times more likely to have periodontitis than people who had never smoked.
The death rate from oral cancers (which includes cancers of the tongue, mouth, gums, tonsils and pharynx) is more than the death rate from cervical cancer.
Here is a list of oral diseases caused by smoking:
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