Secondhand Smoke Associated With Tooth Loss, Study Shows
May 3, 2005

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the risk of tooth loss, according to Japanese researchers.

In a study of 1,002 pregnant Japanese women, researchers found that women exposed to secondhand smoke at home were more likely to have lost at least one tooth.

Women who smoked were also more likely to have lost at least one tooth. Smokers who had smoked at least a pack a day for eight years or more were also at risk for tooth loss.

The researchers took the effects of aging, family income and education level into account.

At least three studies have shown that children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have tooth decay in their baby teeth. However, little research has focused on secondhand smoke exposure and oral health in adults.

The study appears in the May issue of the Annals of Epidemiology.