There are two main types of smokeless tobacco:\nchewing tobacco and snus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chewing tobacco usually comes as leaves or plugs\nwhich you put on the inside of your cheek and chew. Chewing the tobacco\nreleases the flavours and nicotine, and causes your mouth to make a lot of\nsaliva. Users generally end up spitting this out. Snus is tobacco that comes as\na moist powder, or is packed in small bags, and you put it under the inside of\nyour bottom lip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both types of smokeless tobacco are very addictive\nand can cause serious health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ingredients in smokeless tobacco are a mixture\nof tobacco-nicotine, sugar, salt, slaked lime, spices and flavourings. They may\nrelease hundreds of chemicals and poisons when you use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among these chemicals are many dangerous\ncancer-causing agents (called \u2018carcinogens’).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can smokeless tobacco be part of other chewing\nproducts?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. Smokeless tobacco goes by many different\nnames, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Areca nut, ash and lime are some of the main\ningredients used in these mixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who use it don’t always know or use the term\n‘smokeless tobacco’, so they often don’t realise that the products contain\ntobacco. If you aren’t sure, look on the packaging for names or ingredients\nlike those we’ve mentioned above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is smokeless tobacco linked with mouth cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. Mouth cancer<\/a> is\nthe most serious health risk linked with smokeless tobacco. This is because of\nthe large amount of cancer-causing chemicals it has in it. Over time, having\nthese poisons released in your mouth could make you four times as likely to get\nmouth cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most dangerous and popular ingredients\nused in smokeless tobacco is the areca (or betel) nut. This is used in \u2018betel\nquid’ which is made up of betel leaf, areca nut and slaked lime. Research shows\nthat people who regularly chew areca nut have a bigger risk of cancers of the\nmouth, pharynx (throat), oesophagus (gullet) , stomach and pancreas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smokeless tobacco users are especially likely to\nget throat cancer, as they regularly swallow tobacco juice. Cancers of the lip\nand cheek are also common, as the tobacco is pressed against the lining of the\nmouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mouth cancer can appear as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important that you visit your dental team\nregularly if you use smokeless tobacco. This is because part of your check-up\nwill involve a full mouth examination when the dental team will look out for\nany of these signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can smokeless tobacco affect my overall health?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smokeless tobacco also harms your overall health.\nThe nicotine causes your body to make more cholesterol and, as a result, you\nare more likely to get heart disease and have strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because tobacco users are more likely to have gum\ndisease, they are also more likely to have other health problems such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As well as causing mouth cancer, smokeless tobacco\nmay also increase the risk of cancer of the pancreas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is smokeless tobacco safer than cigarettes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, it isn’t. Although many users still believe\nthat smokeless tobacco is not as harmful as regular cigarettes, this is simply\nnot true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco is a serious\nrisk to the health of your mouth and to your overall health. Both contain\nnicotine, which is a very addictive drug. In fact, there is twice as much\nnicotine in smokeless tobacco as in an average cigarette. This causes problems\nfor the heart by tightening blood vessels and raising blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One can of chewing tobacco can release as much\nnicotine into your body as 60 cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the health benefits of giving up smokeless\ntobacco?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Giving up smokeless tobacco can bring many health\nbenefits. Short-term benefits include a better appetite and good digestion, as\nwell as better teeth and gums. Long-term benefits include less chance of\ndeveloping a serious disease, such as heart disease or mouth cancer. The\nrisk of dying from a heart attack is also lessened by giving up smokeless\ntobacco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can I give up smokeless tobacco?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many ways you can give up smokeless\ntobacco. The important thing is to work out why you use it in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will I feel like if I give up smokeless\ntobacco?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may find that giving up is even harder than\ngiving up cigarettes. This is because of the higher levels of nicotine, which\nis very addictive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you try to stop using tobacco, your body still\nwants the nicotine so you might get \u2018withdrawal symptoms’. These can include\nheadaches, tiredness, changes in mood, getting angry quickly and finding it\nhard to concentrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you find it hard to give up smokeless tobacco,\nyou can get specialist help. This can be nicotine replacement therapy, such as\nnicotine patches or gum, and support to help you cope with how you feel. A\nlocal stop-smoking centre can also give you support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol addiction not only affects\nhealth of the entire body but also the oral health of an individual. Alcoholics\nare at high risk of developing dental caries, gingival diseases and may suffer\nfrom oro-pharyngeal cancers. The risk of oral cancer further increases when\nalcohol is consumed along with cigarette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol and salivary glands and\ndental caries (tooth decay)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The salivary glands, notably\nparotid glands, may become swollen in long term alcohol drinkers. This\ncondition is known as sialadenosis and it is associated with ethanol induced\nperipheral neuropathy. This condition results in disturbances in the metabolism<\/a> and\nexcretion of the salivary glands . Reduced salivary secretion along with\ndiminished buffering capacity and less attention to oral hygiene may lead to\nincreased risk of dental caries and gingival disease. Other detrimental factors\nconsist of consumption of sugared drinks and cariogenic food along with\nalcohol. Acidic nature of alcoholic beverages and consumption of carbohydrate\nrich food leads to production of acids upon metabolism and it leads to decrease\nin salivary pH below critical level. Ultimately it may lead to development of\ndental caries. Also, Alcohol consumption increases Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) in\nhumans and BLLs have been correlated with caries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcoholics generally have a high\nincidence of decayed teeth which leads to either extraction of teeth (missing)\nor restoration (filling) of teeth. In particular, alcoholics suffer from more\nnumber of missing teeth as compared to non-alcoholics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohols and gingival\/periodontal\ndiseases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Periodontitis is regularly\ndescribed as having a systemic hostmediated element. Literature search reveals\nmany studies have tried to recognize and appreciate associations between\nperiodontitis and potential systemic conditions such as genetic\ndisorders, diabetes<\/a>,\nosteoporosis and alcoholism. Prolonged alcohol drinking is associated with\nmultiple systemic effects with the likelihood of altering the host-mediated\nresponse and affecting risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol abuse can lead to\nperiodontal disease for a number of reasons including: irritation to gingival\ntissue; poor oral hygiene habits among chronic alcohol drinkers; poor eating\nhabits resulting in nutritional deficiencies among chronic alcoholics leading\nto poor immunity; poor immune response to penetrating harmful chemicals;\ndehydration from alcohol consumption causes bacteria and plaque build-up as\nthey are not washed away by saliva<\/a>;\nignorance of early symptoms of gingival diseases resulting in progression of\ndiseases to more serious condition leading to periodontal diseases. Alcoholics\nhave severe risk of developing chronic generalized periodontitis associated\nwith gingival inflammation, blunting of the interdental papillae and deep\npockets with related bone loss. Alcoholic men more frequently suffer from\nhorizontal bone loss and calculus as compared to women. One study assessed\neffect of binge pattern ethanol 20% exposure on orthodontic tooth movement in\nmale Wistar rats. Binge-pattern 20% ethanol promoted less bone resorption at\nthe end of tooth movement, thereby suggesting delay in tooth movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcoholics taking disulfiram may\nhave changed taste sensation, most commonly a metallic taste. Besides direct\nharmful effects on oral health, alcoholics suffer from a number of indirect\neffects which manifest as a result of lack of adequate nutrition. The most\ncommon effects are tongue inflammation (glossitis) , inflammation of the\ngingiva (gingivitis) and sometimes, inflammation of corner of mouth (angular\ncheilitis). Early stages of glossitis show painful and smooth tongue, but\nsometimes show swollen fungiform papillae. In later stages, tongue suffers from\nburning sensation and becomes intensely red followed by atrophy of filiform and\nfungiform papillae. Angular cheilitis results in development of painful cracks\nat the corners of the mouth; while gingivitis establishes as necrotic areas on\nthe top of interdental papillae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol and wasting diseases,\nmainly dental erosion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n People addicted to alcohol are at\nincreased risk of developing dental erosion<\/a>.\nThis is because alcohol consumption has the potential for increasing the\ndegradation rate mechanisms and by the direct and indirect ethanol effects in\nthe organic systems. Regular and prolonged consumption of acidic drinks such as\nwine makes oral cavity as well as the teeth surface acidic in nature. This\nacidification dissolves surface enamel and makes teeth surfaces more vulnerable\nto mechanical damage due to tooth-brushing, teeth clenching, etc. Lower\nesophageal sphincter relaxes under influence of alcohol and this result in\nfrequent vomiting. Acidic content of stomach enters mouth because of vomiting\nand results in erosion of the enamel. This acidification is further assisted by\nreduced salivary secretion and ultimately reduced buffering capacity which\nincreases the risk of enamel erosion. Most commonly affected tooth surfaces due\nto erosion are palatal surfaces of upper teeth followed by occlusal surfaces of\nposterior teeth. The lower teeth and buccal surfaces of the upper teeth are\nleast affected by erosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The acidic nature of the wine\ncauses discomfort to the teeth of the people who make and taste the wine. Wine\nmerchants, wine tasters and winemakers most commonly suffer from dental\nerosion. This is because they keep wine in their mouth for longer time, which\nis considered to be an occupational hazard. Several epidemiological studies\nhave reported a time-dependent association between alcoholism and enamel\nerosion, with prevalence values as high as 50%. Alcoholic patients show more\nwearing of teeth than age and sexmatched controls. Males continuously drinking\nalcohol are most commonly affected by tooth-wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n<\/li>Adverse\neffect of Alcoholism on Oral Health<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Effect\nof Alcohol on Tongue<\/h4>\n\n\n\n