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As if heart and lung disease weren't
reason enough to quit smoking, a new study has found
there's widespread evidence of another health hazard
to consider when lighting up—gum disease.
Although a direct
correlation between smoking and gum disease has long
been known, this is the first national study to show
how prevalent the problem is, researchers say.
Current smokers
were about four times more likely than people who have
never smoked to have periodontitis, but ex-smokers who
had abstained for 11 years faced no increased risk,
according to the findings published in the Journal of
Periodontology. Overall, nearly 53 percent of gum disease
in the study was attributed to current and former smoking.
The study also
found that:
- Fifty-five percent of the study's
subjects with periodontitis were current smokers and
nearly 22 percent were former smokers.
- Current smokers of more than 1-1/2
packs of cigarettes a day were nearly six times more
likely than non-smokers to have periodontitis.
- Those who smoked less than half
a pack daily were almost three times more likely to
have the disease.
Researchers
say tobacco can suppress the body's immune system, reducing
its ability to fight infection. Smoking also limits
the growth of blood vessels, slowing the healing of
damaged gum tissue.
Robert Silverman,
DDS, a Delta Dental consultant, says there's one positive
to the study: Quitting smoking or never starting in
the first place will greatly reduce your risk of gum
disease.
Says Dr. Silverman,
"The lesson is, don't smoke if you want to save
your teeth—and your life."
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