|
|
 |
| Oral
health problems |
| Tobacco
use is a significant risk factor for poor dental health among older
adults, including tooth loss, periodontal disease, and cavities (caries).
|
| Smokers'
teeth have more brown staining, plaque (soft bacterial deposits) accumulation,
and calculus (calcified deposits on the teeth). |
| Tobacco
is responsible for about 70% of the 30,000 cases of oral cancer in
the U.S. each year, and is responsible for about 5,600 of the 8,000
deaths from oral cancer. |
| The
five-year survival rate for oral cancer is 53% overall and only 34%
among African Americans. |
| The
average smoker is about 4 times more likely than a non-smoker to contract
oral cancer. |
| In
addition, tobacco use has a synergistic effect with alcohol; those
who smoke and drink are between 15 and 38 times more likely to suffer
from oral cancer than those who neither smoke nor drink. |
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