Objectives. The habit of khat chewing is prevalent in many Middle Eastern and African cultures and has been associated with various adverse conditions in humans. This study aimed to describe histological changes induced by chronic khat chewing on the buccal mucosa. Methods. Biopsies of the buccal mucosa from 14 chronic khat chewers, 20 chronic khat chewers who also smoked tobacco, and 8 nonchew...

BACKGROUND Betel quid, chewed by about 600 million people worldwide, is one of the most widely used addictive substances. Cessation factors in betel quid chewers are unknown. The present study explores prevalence and the quit rate of betel quid chewing in Taiwan aborigines. Our goal was to delineate potential predictors of chewing cessation. METHODS A stratified random community-based survey ...

AIMS Existing in vitro and in vivo data suggest that khat may have a favorable effect on periodontal microbiota. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of khat chewing on major periodontal pathogens in subgingival plaque samples from subjects with chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS 40 subgingival plaque samples were obtained from periodontitis and healthy sites of 10 kha...

Pan Masala (PM) chewing is very dangerous for health but it is becoming very popular day by day. PM is a dried powdered mixture containing ingredients like areca nut, catechu, lime, cardamom and flavouring agents. It is consumed abundantly by Indians and is also exported to Western countries. A cytogenetic study to assess the micronucleus (MN), sister chromatid exchange (SCE) levels and chromos...

OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of betel quid chewers and to investigate the behavioural and mortality relations between betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking. METHOD Prevalence and mortality risks of betel quid chewers by smoking status were calculated, based on the National Health Interview Survey in 2001 and a community based cohort, respectively. Cox's proportional hazards mo...

Betel quid containing areca nut and chewing tobacco is used in many parts of India. In this study we evaluated the micronuclei (MN) in buccal mucosa of healthy individuals from southern India, who were regularly chewing a mixture of betel leaf, areca nut and tobacco. A total of 44 subjects were examined. The study population included 15 chewers, 14 chewers with smoking habit and 15 controls wit...

The effect of a common habit among Yemeni population on the periodontal status was investigated. This cross-sectional study was done on 2500 Yemenis with mean age 27.01 years (1818 males and 682 females). Among these 1528 were qat chewers and 972 were non-chewers. Detailed questionnaire and pre-designed scoring system for the periodontal status were employed for each case. Study results indicat...

BACKGROUND The Mariana Islands, including Guam and Saipan, are home to many ethnic subpopulations of Micronesia. Oral cancer incidence rates vary among subpopulations, and areca (betel) nut chewing, a habit with carcinogenic risks, is common. Our objectives were to conduct a screening program to detect oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) in betel nut chewers, measure their betel nut che...

Background: Tobacco is a leading preventable cause of deaths worldwide the situation is particularly serious in the developing countries. Tobacco use among the children and adolescents is already a pandemic and they are vulnerable targets of tobacco industry. This is also the scenario in India. Risk factors for oral cancer include tobacco and alcohol use, unprotected exposure to sun light, lack...

This study aims to describe betel quid chewing practice and compare oral potentially malignant disorders between chewers and non-chewers of betel quid among residents in Dagon Myothit (East) Township, Myanmar. The study used a cross-sectional design conducted with a representative sample of 542 adults aged 18 years and above in the township. The trained interviewers collected data using a prete...