Smokers More Likely to Need Root Canals

[Anonymous]

 It’s never fun to hear the

 It’s never fun to hear the words "root canal" coming out of your dentist’s mouth. But if you’ve recently been diagnosed as needing a root canal treatment, it may be comforting to know that you’re not alone. Like you, it’s estimated that about half of the adult population in the U.S. will need a root canal treatment by the age of 50.

The good news is if you don’t smoke you can avoid increasing your chances of needing a root canal. If you do smoke, you may be surprised to learn about the recent dental health findings at Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Studies there revealed that your gender, how much you smoke and how long you’ve been smoking can significantly multiply your need for root canal treatment.

Are Men More Vulnerable?

Poets, musicians and humorists have long opined the differences between men and women. How the sexes are dissimilar will always be hotly debated, but one thing is certain: Men and women are distinctly different when it comes to dental health.

A survey revealed that men of all ages are more likely than women to develop cavities, periodontal disease andoral cancer; smoking puts men at twice the risk over women. Smoking also doubles the need for root canals in men.

"Our study has shown that men have almost twice the risk of having root canal treatments if they smoke cigarettes, compared to men who never smoke," said Elizabeth Krall Kaye, author of the Boston University study and professor in the department of health policy and health services.

        

[drmithila]

A toxic compound in cigarette smoke slows the production of “good” cholesterol, new research shows.

Cigarette smoking’s association with heart disease has been known for decades, but researchers have not been certain what chemicals or molecular processes in the body form the basis of that link. The new findings concerning the effect of benzo(a)pyrene on high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, are published in the journal Life Sciences.

“Smoking-related health hazards are well-recognized, and the role of smoking in promoting premature heart disease is widely appreciated,” said Arshag D. Mooradian, senior author of the study and a professor and chair of the department of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville. “The novelty in our study is the finding of yet another mechanism by which smoking can accelerate heart disease through reduction of the ‘good’ cholesterol that normally protects the heart.”

 

        

[Drsumitra]

A study published earlier this year found that metformin — one of the most commonly used antihyperglycemic agents for treating type 2 diabetes — may also protect against oral cancer. Now a new study in the Journal of Periodontology (November 7, 2012) has shown that metformin is also effective in treating smokers with chronic periodontitis.
For the study, researchers from the Government Dental College & Research Institute in Bangalore, India, investigated the effectiveness of a 1% metformin gel (biodegradable, controlled release) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of vertical defects in smokers with chronic periodontitis.

They split 50 patients into two treatment groups: SRP plus 1% metformin and SRP plus placebo. Clinical parameters — which included plaque index, modified sulcus bleeding index, probing depth, and clinical attachment level — were recorded at baseline, three months, and six months.

Mean probing depth reduction and mean clinical attachment level gain were greater in the metformin group than the placebo group at all visits, the researchers reported. In addition, they found significantly greater mean percentage of bone fill in the metformin group than the placebo sites (p < 0.001).

 

        

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