Effects of Tobacco on Oral Health

Definition Tobacco is consumed in a variety of different ways, though smoking of manufactured cigarettes is the most prevalent form of its use. The emergence of widespread cigar use particularly among adolescents of both sexes has been reported in the past decade in the US. Cigars have higher total nicotine content than cigarettes do and can deliver nicotine both through smoke and through direct oral contact with the tobacco wrapper. Cheroots are small cigars made of heavy bodied tobacco. Bidi smoking is a popular form of tobacco use in south Asia, accounting for one-third of the tobacco produced in India for smoking. Bidis and kreteks are gaining popularity among young people in North America, and more than 15% of adolescent smokers use these tobacco products. Pipe smoking is one of the oldest methods of smoking and was brought to Europe by sailors from Americas. Water pipes include special receptacles through which smoke has to pass, ostensibly to reduce its harmful effects. Hookah is an Indian water pipe. The habit of reverse smoking by holding the glowing end of cigarettes or cigars within the oral cavity is described in parts of India, south America and the Philippines. The habit is practiced extensively by older women living in rural areas. Smoked tobacco Tobacco smoke is made up of “side-stream smoke” from the burning tip of the cigarette and “main-stream smoke” from the filter or mouth end. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of different chemicals which are released as particles and gases. Many toxins are present in tobacco smoke. The particulate phase includes nicotine, "tar" (itself composed of many chemicals), benzene and benzo(a)pyrene. The gas phase includes carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and acrolein. Some of these have marked irritant properties and some 60, including benzo(a)pyrene and dimethylnitrosamine, have been shown to cause cancer. The tar yield of different brands of cigarettes range from 0.5 mg to 26 mg (averaging 12.5 mg.), with the most popular brands containing 15-17 mg of tar. In the European Union (EU) cigarettes have to contain less than 12 mg of tar from 1998. Nicotine yields range from 0.05 mg to 1.7 mg, with the most popular brands yielding 1.0 mg of nicotine. In developed countries over 95% of manufactured cigarettes consumed are filter-tipped.