Effects of Chewing Tobacco on Oral Health

Many people have oral health issues. However, tobacco use has exacerbated the problems already present in many patients. Several studies have been done on this issue. The effects of tobacco use in the oral cavity and how chewing tobacco is detrimental to a patient’s overall health will be discussed in this paper.

An age group that is more susceptible to the effects of tobacco, according to a study on oral health care, is sixty-five and older. This is due to the layers of mucosa thinning as the person ages. Older adults were found to be edentulous or have more decayed, missing, or teeth needing to be extracted. Also, children between the ages of fifteen and eighteen were more susceptible to caries. Many hygienists have done fissure sealants to try to reduce the development of caries in children (Umer & Umer, 2011).

The effects of chewing tobacco are prevalent in all users. Oral lesions develop and cause many different forms of oral mucosa lesions. These lesions include melanosis, malignancy, speckled leukoplakia, and oral submucosa fibrosis (Chandra & Govindraju, 2012). However, chewing tobacco can cause other issues like gingival recession and sensitivity, drifting of teeth, damage to tissues, and abrasion causing tooth wear (Nagarajappa & Ramesh, 2012). The severity and number of lesions was directly proportional to perpetuation and persistence the patient chewed tobacco. Periodontitis is two times more likely in smokeless tobacco users than in nonusers (Amjad, Ali, Dastgir Bhatti, & Chaudhry, 2012).

Tobacco use can increase deterioration in the oral cavity. This includes tissues, decaying teeth, oral lesions, caries, and calculus (Amjad et al, 2012). Chewing tobacco causes high amounts of attrition and abr...

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...h or if an effort is being made to improve oral health. This issue is relevant because dental professionals should be able to detect and notice changes in the oral cavity.

References

Amjad, F., Ali, S., Dastgir Bhatti, M. U., & Chaudhry, A. U. (2012, December). Effects of Tobacco Chewing On Oral Health Status Of Patients Visiting University College Of Dentistry, Lahore. Pakistan Oral & Dental Journal 32(3), pp. 489-492.

Chandra, P., & Govindraju, P. (2012). Prevalence of Oral Mucosal Lesions Among Tobacco Users. Oral Health & Preventative Dentistry 10(2), pp. 149-153.

Nagarajappa, R., & Ramesh, G. (2012). Tooth Wear Among Tobacco Chewers in the Rural Population of Davangere, India. Oral Health & Preventative Denistry 10(2), pp. 107-112.

Umer, A., & Umer, A. (2011, June). Oral Health Care In Malaysia- A Review. Pakistan Oral & Dental Journal 31(1), pp. 139-143.