The Case Against Smokeless Tobacco: Five Facts for the Health Professional to Consider

Abstract

Snuff dipping and tobacco chewing are rapidly gaining popularity in the United States. They are being heavily promoted through mass media advertising. Advertising spots on radio, television, and in the printed media use well-known sports personalities and entertainers to act as spokesmen for smokeless tobacco. Despite the esthetic drawbacks of these social acceptance. This is being accomplished, at least in part, through a skillful manipulation of the public by the tobacco industry. Use of smokeless tobacco is rapidly increasing, especially among young male athletes and students in high school and college. Advertising implies that smokeless tobacco habits are innocuous and safe. They are not. Smokeless tobacco products have shown that potential for causing cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and eophagus. A review of the medical and dental literature has shown 646 cases of cancer associated directly with smokeless tobacco. Smokeless tobacco can produce significant effects on the soft and hard tissues of the mouth, including bad breath, discolored teeth and restorations, excessive wear (abrasion) of the incisal and occlusal surfaces of the teeth, decreased ability to taste and small, gingival recession, advanced periodontal destruction of the soft and hard tissues, erythema of the soft tissues, leukoplakia, and cancer. Health professionals are urged to advise their patients concerning the hazards of using smokeless tobacco and to take a strong public stance in opposition to the current advertising campaigns aimed at youth. The professions should demand that smokeless tobacco products print health warning labels on the packages and in advertising copy. Finally, patients should be taught how to recognize signs of breakdown of the soft and hard tissues.