Destructive Periodontal Disease and Tobacco and Cannabis Smoking
- Philippe P. Hujoel, PhD
- Author Affiliation: Department of Dental Public Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Destructive periodontal disease consists of loss of the supporting tissues of the teeth and can lead to tooth mobility, tooth migration, and eventual tooth loss. Enjoyments in life such as eating; relaxing; going out; and being free of pain, discomfort, and self-consciousness are adversely affected by destructive periodontal disease in 20% of periodontal patients seeking specialist care.1 In the United States, the prevalence of destructive periodontal disease decreased from 7% in 1988 to 4% in 1999 and 2000.2 In 1999, about $14 billion was spent on treating and preventing destructive periodontal disease.3
For most of the latter half of the 20th century, destructive periodontal disease was considered a disease that occurred after the age of 35 years, caused primarily by dental plaque and largely unrelated to lifestyle choices. These hypotheses were mostly based on animal studies, gingivitis studies, and case series but not controlled epidemiological studies on …
