Tobacco and oral disease

N. W. Johnson,¹ C. A. Bain² and co-authors of the EU-Working Group on Tobacco and Oral Health<sup>3

1</sup>Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Medicine & Pathology, WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer & Precancer, The Guy's, King's & St Thomas' Schools of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, King's Dental Institute, Caldecot Road, London SE5 9RW; ²University of Glasgow; ³The members of the Working Group are: Remy Allard (The Netherlands), A. P. Angelopoulos (Greece), Anja Ainamo (Finland), Antonio Azul (Portugal), Jose V. Bagan (Spain), Crawford Bain (United Kingdom), Annelise Bastholm (Denmark), Johann Beck-Mannagetta (Austria), M. Berengo (Italy), Joao Braga (Portugal), Hugo De Bruyn (Belgium), C. Cumeen (Ireland), Wolfgang Doneus (Austria), Richard Flachaire (France), Newell Johnson (United Kingdom), Aira Lahtinen (Finland), Jahn Legarth, coordinator (Denmark), Pedro Fernandez Leon (Spain), Karl-Heintz Löchte (Germany), Bernard McCartan (Ireland), Roger Monteil (France), Stavros Papanikolaou (Greece), Hans Preber (Sweden), Jesper Reibel, coordinator (Denmark), Peter Reichart (Germany), Andrea Sardella (Italy), Jos Schoenaers (Belgium), Isaäc van der Waal (The Netherlands), Örjan Åkerberg (Sweden) The document is based on contributions from members of the Working Group and from the following experts: Tony Axéll (Norway), David B. Ferguson (United Kingdom), Albert Hirsch (France), Palle Holmstrup (Denmark), Robert E. Mecklenburg (USA), Poul Ebbe Nielsen (Denmark)

Correspondence to: Professor Newell W Johnson
email: newell.johnson@kcl.ac.uk

This document was produced by the 'EU-Working Group on Tobacco and Oral Health' supported by the EU Commission (the 'Europe Against Cancer' programme).

In brief The EU-Working Group on Tobacco and Oral Health found: Smoking often results in discolourations of teeth and dental restorations. Halitosis, diminished taste and smell acuity are common side effects of smoking. Periodontal disease is increased both in prevalence and severity in smokers. Smoking cessation may halt disease progression and improve the outcome of periodontal treatment. Oral cancer and precancer occurs much more frequently in smokers than in non-smokers. Smoking cessation significantly decreases the increased risk of oral cancer within 5-10 years. Dental implant failure rates are significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers. The entire dental team should be aware of the relationship between smoking and dental problems and should convey the message that non-smoking is the norm. Smoking counselling should be a fundamental part of the dental curriculum and any practice prevention programme.