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It is no secret that smoking has many harmful effects on health, so the best decision for any smoker is to quit this habit permanently. These health harms include, among others, an 85% increase in the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis and an enhanced possibility of tooth loss in patients suffering from this inflammation. This is due to exposure to cigarette smoke inhibiting the vitality and proliferation of defensive blood cells, leading to a reduction in their ability to resist germs and produce antibacterials, slow wound healing, especially after tooth extraction, reduced healing potential, a weak response to gum treatment, and other harmful consequences for the gums, mouth, and mucous membrane. .
In contrast, exposing teeth to heated tobacco aerosol has a less harmful effect than exposing them to burning tobacco smoke, which may actually make it a less harmful alternative for smokers and those wishing to quit smoking.
In order to investigate the effect of actual heated tobacco on oral health, a team of Croatian researchers from the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Centre, the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Rijeka and the Faculty of Medicine and Dental Hygiene at the University of Osijek studied the effect of both on gum tissue. The results of this study, published in the Journal of Dentistry, showed that exposure to cigarette smoke is more harmful to gum tissue than heated tobacco, because heating tobacco instead of burning it releases fewer harmful components.
To conduct the study, researchers divided participants into three groups, matching them by age and sex: non-smokers, traditional cigarette smokers, and heated tobacco users. There were no significant differences in oral hygiene protocols or brushing frequency between the three groups.
The depth of examination was one of the most important factors in the research. Specifically, to perform the clinical examination, the Croatian scientists used a periodontal probe to record the depth of the probe, the degree of whole mouth bleeding, the degree of whole mouth plaque, gingival recession, tooth movement, avulsion defects (destruction of the supporting tissue of multi-rooted teeth) and the level of clinical attachment.
The three groups differed in mean gingival depth and loss of clinical attachment, with conventional cigarette smokers having the highest levels and non-smokers having the lowest levels. While heated tobacco users achieved better gum results compared to traditional cigarette smokers.
Gum indices in heated tobacco users were worse compared to non-smokers, but did not reach a statistically significant level. While smoking was the only indicator of gingivitis in the gingival regression models.
This means that exposure to heated tobacco aerosol containing nicotine in adults has a less harmful effect on gingival tissue, and can be measured by gingival indices, which are gingival depth and loss of clinical attachment compared to conventional cigarettes, this research concluded.
Although exposure to heated tobacco aerosol does not completely eliminate the damage resulting from traditional smoking on gum health, it reduces the damage to a significant extent, in line with the principle of “harm reduction” and enhances gum health for those who do not want to quit smoking.
2024-03-13 20:49:39
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