Here is some good news about a bad-news topic: The rate of smokers in the U.S. was at 15.5 percent in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from 42.4 percent in 1965. Good job in the United States, but there’s still a ways to go!
The CDC notes that smoking “remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States” and is blamed for $170 billion in direct medical care costs each year in the U.S. What’s not at the fore when discussing smoking, is how it affects your oral health. Further down is how second-hand smoke hurts your oral health.
I’d like to post again today about how there evidence continuing to emerge that non-smokers, too, can have their oral health affected by smoking. Of course, I’m writing again about second-hand smoke.
ScienceDaily previously reported that a study showing non-smokers experiencing periodontitis because of second-hand smoke was presented at the International Association for Dental Research’s 93rd General Session. The analysis was taken from the study of 3,255 lifetime non-smokers and was funded by the National Institutes of Health – National institute of Dental and Craniofacila Research.
To review a few salient points from my other blog entries, smokers are up to six times more prone to gum disease and that ultimately poses the threat of multiple tooth loss.
Here is a wonderful link to the CDC showing how smoking has declined over the years:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/tables/trends/cig_smoking/index.htm
Here is the CDC fact sheet about smoking:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm
So, I’m sure you’ve heard it before and will again, but here goes … STOP SMOKING … and avoid second-hand smoke!