Ever heard that smoking tobacco can make your lips dark, stain your teeth and cause your gums to recede? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Smoking affects the teeth, gums, and mouth in multiple ways.
Regular smoking can not only cause minor dental problems like staining of teeth, bad breath and gum diseases but can also lead to life-threatening conditions like oral cancer. Smoking regularly can also cause lesions in the mouth, dry mouth, cavities, bleeding gums, and in rare cases, pus formation in the gums.
In India, cigarette packets are covered with a graphic warning that says "smoking kills". Despite this, 99.5 million Indians smoke tobacco, according to WHO's "Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2018 of India" (GATS 2018). The prevalence of smoking in India is 19% in men and 2% among women.
Smoking affects every aspect of health. A study conducted at the University in Bristol, UK, found that just one cigarette a day can reduce 11 minutes from the smoker's life. Add to this the fact that chain smokers can go through a whole packet of cigarettes or bidis a day, and you have a surefire recipe for ill-health. Some chain smokers also end up spending half of their earnings on bidis and cigarettes, etc., which can take a further toll on their quality of life and overall well-being.
Tobacco smoking is done in various forms such as bidis, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chillums, hookahs, e-cigarettes and vapes.