Dental News - Former and light smokers subject to adverse health risks

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 21. October 2019

save

NEW YORK, U.S.: Various studies have examined the oral health implications of tobacco use and smoking cessation. Since it has been proven that smoking accelerates a decline in the function of the lungs, a recent study has assessed lung function in smokers, ex-smokers and those who have never smoked. The findings suggest that even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day cause long-term damage to their lungs.

“Many people assume that smoking a few cigarettes a day isn’t so bad,” said lead author Dr. Elizabeth Oelsner, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “But it turns out that the difference in loss of lung function between someone who smokes five cigarettes a day versus two packs a day is relatively small.”

Owing to the large number of study participants (25,352), Oelsner and her colleagues had the opportunity to observe differences in lung function among light smokers (less than five cigarettes per day) and heavy smokers (more than 30 cigarettes per day). The results showed that lung function in light smokers declines at a rate much closer to that of heavy smokers than to that of nonsmokers. Compared with the rate of decline in those who had never smoked, the additional decline for light smokers was 7.65 mL per year and for heavy smokers was 11.24 mL per year. This suggests that a light smoker could lose almost the same amount of lung function in one year as a heavy smoker does in nine months.

“Smoking a few cigarettes a day is much riskier than a lot of people think,” Oelsner said. “Everyone should be strongly encouraged to quit smoking, no matter how many cigarettes per day they are using.”

The World Health Organization has published a systematic review in which it highlights the immediate and long-term oral health benefits of smoking cessation. In the current study, the researchers tested the hypothesis that the rate of decline in lung capacity normalizes within a few years of smoking cessation. However, although the study showed that lung capacity declines at a much slower rate in ex-smokers than in current smokers, the researchers concluded that ex-smokers would need at least 30 years to normalize their lung function after quitting smoking. “That’s consistent with a lot of biological studies,” Oelsner continued. “There are anatomic differences in the lung that persist for years after smokers quit and gene activity also remains altered.”

The negative effects of smoking on lung function may also explain why smokers are more susceptible to developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “We probably need to expand our notions of who is at risk,” Oelsner said. “In the future, if we find therapies that reduce the risk of developing COPD, everyone at increased risk should benefit.”

The study, titled “Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: A secondary data analysis of the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study,” was published online on Oct. 9, 2019, in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, ahead of inclusion in an issue.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Scientists hopeful of minimising adverse health effects linked to snoring

UMEÅ, Sweden: Researchers have recently reported that the recurrent vibrations caused by heavy snoring can lead to injuries in the upper airways. This ...

“Simple interventions by oral health professionals can greatly improve overall health and reduce risks”

It is increasingly recognised that general medical care and dental care should be more closely linked. To that end, the European Federation of ...

Scientists find adverse pulmonary health effects associated with vaping

BALTIMORE, U.S: Scientists investigating the potential health effects of vaping on the human pulmonary system have reported that inhaling vapor from ...

Vital tooth bleaching has adverse effects on oral health, study concludes

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: A newly published systemic review has revealed that, while tooth bleaching treatment yields positive changes for young participants in...

Review links protruding teeth to long-term oral health risks

ADELAIDE, Australia: A new systematic review has reported that children with protruding primary or early permanent teeth have an increased chance of ...

Interview: “The book aims to make an intimidating subject like periodontology palatable”

Running two private dental practices in the Belgian city of Liège, lecturing in Belgium and France, collaborating with the University of Liège as an ...

FDI and Henry Schein working to introduce integrated electronic health records to dentistry

GENEVA, Switzerland: Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to greatly improve the overall quality of dental care and research. FDI is ...

Mobile phones might help improve oral health in children and adolescents

LONDON, UK: Nowadays, the majority of people, even at a young age, own a mobile phone, making them a wide-reaching tool for interventions. For some time ...

Green light for XIVIA Xylitol dental health claims

CHEONGJU, South Korea: South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has issued a re-approval of the health claim that consumers from 3 to 80 years old ...

Health bodies urge countries to adopt universal oral health coverage

BANGKOK, Thailand: FDI World Dental Federation and the NCD Alliance have urged governments to integrate oral healthcare into health coverage packages. The ...

Education

Live webinar
Fri. 26 April 2024
12:00 pm EST (New York)