Improve your health by kicking the habit

Courtesy Photo | An inflammation of the palate called nicotine stomatitis is often present amongst smokers.  

01.26.2006

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

Smoking or using smokeless tobacco products are common amongst servicemembers serving in Iraq. Data from a Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among military personnel show that cigarette use in the military in 2002 was 33.8 percent, which was a significant increase from the comparable rate in 1998. Tobacco use is one of the top five health concerns within the military.

Whether it is to relieve stress or just for the pure nicotine enjoyment, most servicemembers are aware of the side effects.

However, many people deploy to Iraq with the hopes of "kicking the habit" and with good reason. The Logistical Support Area Anaconda Main Dental Clinic counsels Soldiers and highly encourages them to quit for health reasons.

"Tobacco is the primary cause of oral cancer, especially smokeless tobacco," said Col. Jerry Schwartz, periodontist (gum specialist) and general dentist with the 502nd Dental Detachment at the dental clinic.

Most people are aware of smoking as a risk factor for many serious systemic conditions including cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low birth weight babies of smoking mothers, and cancer.

"Soldiers will take up the habit because their peers are doing it or they are under a lot of stress here â?¦ and some of them have been doing it since they were 13 or 14 years old," Schwartz said.

Some smokers have switched to smokeless tobacco as a safer substitute, but smokeless forms of tobacco also have negative health effects. It is estimated that the lifetime prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in the United States is 17.2 percent, with 3.1 percent of the population having used smokeless tobacco in the past month.

The oral cavity is one of the most affected areas impacted by tobacco products.

Smoking provides the following threats to oral health: cancer, gum diseases, and delayed healing. The survival rate for oral cancer is less than 60 percent. Approximately 30,000 new cases of oral cancer occur in the United States each year.

Other findings associated with smoking are stained teeth, tartar buildup, bad breath, and decreased taste.

Destructive periodontal disease is a common among smokers. They experience greater bone loss and attachment loss, as well as more pronounced frequency of periodontal pockets than non smokers. Tooth loss is more extensive.

Additionally an inflammation of the palate called nicotine stomatitis is often present.

There are two types of smokeless tobacco products: chewing tobacco and snuff. Snuff is pulverized fire cured tobacco and comes in two varieties, moist and dry. The dry type is usually inhaled whereas the moist type is placed in the oral cavity between cheek and gum.

Chewing tobacco is coarser than snuff and comes in three varieties, loose-leaf sold in pouches, plug in small blocks, and twisted in strands. Like snuff, chewing tobacco is placed between cheek and gum. All varieties of smokeless tobacco can cause harmful effects on the oral cavity.

Almost 80 percent of daily smokeless tobacco users have an identifiable soft tissue lesion.

"We see a lot of lesions on Soldiers who dip when they come in for dental work. It doesn't matter what type of smokeless tobacco they use," Schwartz said.

More than 5 percent of the patients seen at the main dental clinic are smokeless tobacco users, Schwartz said.

Smokeless tobacco habits can also result in the formation of a white patch in the area where the tobacco is placed. This white patch, called leukoplakia, can be premalignant or even malignant.

Localized destruction of gum tissue can also occur and results in a stripping of the gum from the teeth. Since the tobacco often contains sugar, dental cavities can occur in the teeth.

"Usually they will leave the tobacco in one area and it is a constant irritation to the gum and teeth. And the only way to repair the recession of the gum is by surgically grafting from another part of the mouth to fix the affected area," Schwartz said.

Both smoke and smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine which can result in dependence and addiction. Although nicotine itself is not associated with cancer there are many other carcinogenic agents in tobacco products. It is estimated that there are 4,000 chemicals and gases in smoking tobacco and some 3,000 chemicals in smokeless tobacco.

The habitual use of tobacco products is multi-factorial and includes physiologic and sociologic components. Overcoming the addictive nature of nicotine includes cessation regimens that help address the effects of withdrawal while providing social support to the "quitter" for the lifestyle change that must occur.

"We highly recommend Soldiers quit on their own or attend a cessation class while they are here if they are really interested in quitting. I've seen tremendous results back in the states when Soldiers attend these classes," Schwartz said.

It has been shown that nicotine replacement therapy nearly doubles the success rate of cessation programs.

"It is important to realize that if they continue it can become a life threatening cancer," he said.

For Soldiers interested in the smoking and tobacco cessation program, they need to contact their nearest TMC to find out more information on the next class.

- Information provided by U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine

• Date Taken: 01.26.2006
• Date Posted: 01.26.2006 10:59
• Story ID: 5214