Health Effects of Smokeless Tobacco

Authors

  • Bashir A Chaudhary Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA
  • Tesneem K Chaudhary Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA
  • Bjorn Thorarinsson Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA
  • William A Speir Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5915/19-1-12833

Keywords:

Tobacco, Smokeless, Snuff, Cancer

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/19-1-12833

Smokeless tobacco is used all over the world. It is usually used orally either as chewing tobacco or as snuff. In 1985, 12 million persons in the United States used smokeless tobacco and the trend is increasing among young males. There is strong association between smokeless tobacco use and cancers of the oral cavity. There may be a fifty-fold increased risk of oral cancers among long term snuff dippers. Potent carcinogens including nitrosamines, aromatic hydrocarbons and radiation-emitting polonium are found in tobacco. Smokeless tobacco is associated with oral leukoplakia at the site of tobacco placement. Some leukoplakias undergo dysplastic changes and may become cancerous. Nicotine dependency is very similar to other drugs such as morphine. The effects of nicotine from smokeless tobacco are similar to those as seen in cigarette smoking and are not discussed in this review.

Author Biographies

Bashir A Chaudhary, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

Department of Medicine Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA

Tesneem K Chaudhary, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

The Department of Medicine Section of Pulmonary Diseases and The Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia

M.D.

Bjorn Thorarinsson, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

The Department of Medicine Section of Pulmonary Diseases and The Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia

William A Speir, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America

The Department of Medicine Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Medical College of Georgia

M.D.

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Published

1987-01-26

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (1987)

Section

Review Articles

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