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| Overview |
| Smokeless (spit) tobacco: |
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Smokeless or "spit" tobacco is mainly used in the form of snuff or chewing tobacco. Snuff is finely ground or shredded and may be taken nasally, while chewing tobacco is more coarsely cut and is held in the mouth. Nicotine is found in smokeless tobacco, making all types addictive. In order to maintain their customer base, manufacturers have been found to manipulate the level of nicotine in smokeless tobacco to increase its addictive nature. Similar to other tobacco products, smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer as well as cancer of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, pharynx, and larynx, as well as a number of non-cancerous oral health problems. Smokeless tobacco can also lead to gingivitis, bleeding gums, and sores in the mouth. |
| Counseling
users Counseling smokeless tobacco users is similar to counseling cigarette smokers. However, users should also be cautioned that spit tobacco can be more addictive than cigarettes because of its higher "kick" of nicotine. You may consider recommending nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smokeless tobacco users because of the product's highly addictive nature. For information on counseling, please refer to the "Counseling" section. |
