It has been common knowledge for many years that the body’s ability to heal itself and recover from surgery is significantly hindered by the use of tobacco. It is for this reason that surgeons often require patients who need to undergo major surgery quit smoking 6 months prior to their surgery date. But did you know that recent studies have confirmed that regular smokers also have a significantly increased risk of tooth loss too?
According to the Journal of Dental Research the association between smoking and the incidence of tooth loss was stronger in men than women, and also stronger in younger versus older individuals. Researchers found female smokers were 2.5 times more likely to lose their teeth than a nonsmoker, while males smokers were 3.6 times more likely to lose their teeth. These findings were independent of other risk factors such as diabetes, and were based on 23,376 participants in three different age groups.
Most teeth are lost as a result of either severe tooth decay or periodontal disease. It has been common knowledge for many years that smoking is a strong risk factor for periodontal disease, so that may go a long way toward explaining the higher rate of tooth loss in smokers.
The good news is that researchers also found that smoking cessation was consistently associated with a reduction in tooth loss risk, with the risk of tooth loss approaching that of people who have never smoked after 10-20 years of cessation.
About the Author:
Dr. Anthony Dailley is a practicing general dentist in Berkeley
California. He has been practicing since 1981 and graduated from San
Francisco State University with a degree in Cell & Molecular
Biology, and obtained his dental degree from the Pacific School of
Dentistry. Dr. Dailley also holds a fellowship position with the
International Congress of Oral Implantologist (ICOI). Dr. Dailley has
also been a founder in a biotech company called NovaBay Pharmaceuticals
and was a member of their board of directors from 1997-2014.
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