How does smoking affect oral health?

Everyone knows about the impact of smoking on health, and that the number of cigarettes smoked daily is clearly correlated with the risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases –  But the fact that smoking greatly affects the appearance and health of the skin, the healing of the skin after cosmetic procedures, the development of dermatological diseases in the mouth and, finally, the premature formation of wrinkles – not known to all patients of a cosmetologist. The effects of smoking on health are known to many, but this does not prevent smokers from slowly poisoning themselves. But how smoking manifests itself in appearance and on the condition of the oral mucosa, find out on estet-portal.com.

Impact of smoking on health. Oral diseases in smokers

Leukoplakia is one of the manifestations of the negative impact of smoking on health and is a keratinization of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity or the red border of the lips, accompanied by inflammation. It occurs, as a rule, in response to chronic exogenous irritation.

Of paramount importance in the pathogenesis of leukoplakia is the effect of hot tobacco smoke, which causes an increase in cell nuclei, cell sizes and early keratinization in the epithelium.

When leukoplakia is localized on the red border of the lips, great importance in its occurrence is attached to chronic trauma with a mouthpiece, cigarette or cigarette (pressure), systematic cauterization of the lips when smoking the cigarette to the end, as well as unfavorable meteorological conditions, primarily insolation. The effects of smoking on health can be traced by observing the oral mucosa and tongue.

Common oral diseases in smokers:

• Leukoplakia of Tappeiner smokers (LCT). This disease is a type of leukoplakia of the oral mucosa. It occurs on the mucous membrane of the hard palate, and only in smokers. The mucous membrane of the hard palate and sometimes the soft palate adjacent to it appears to be slightly keratinized, grayish-white, often folded. Against this background, red dots – gaping mouths of the excretory ducts of small salivary glands become clearly visible. What other diseases appear with systematic smoking, read further on estet-portal.com. Despite the name of the disease, the main cause is exposure to tar and heat, not nicotine. Unlike other forms of leukoplakia, this condition resolves quickly, within about 2 weeks after stopping smoking.
• Nicotine leukokeratosis of the tongue (NCL), also known as "smoker's tongue", – homogeneous leukoplakia with hemispherical impressions, affecting the anterior 2/3 of the back of the tongue. The disease occurs exclusively in smokers, more often in cigarette smokers, and, as a rule, accompanies LCT. NKJ, like LKT, is most likely associated with mucosal exposure to resins and high temperatures.

• Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis. With this form of gingivitis, perforated ulceration of the papillae between the teeth is most characteristic. Patients complain of soreness, bleeding and bad breath. In this case, the effect of smoking on health in severe cases is manifested by lymphadenopathy and general symptoms of intoxication. The disease occurs exclusively in smokers and clearly depends on the number of cigarettes smoked.

The role of smoking in the etiology and pathogenesis of psoriasis

While there is no clear link between smoking and psoriasis, a number of studies have shown some association between the two.

Women who smoke 1 pack of cigarettes a day have been found to have a 3.3 times higher risk of psoriasis than non-smokers.

In addition, a relationship was established between the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the risk of psoriasis: & nbsp; persons who smoked 20 cigarettes or more per day had the highest risk. The main pathological processes through which tobacco smoke can affect the genesis of psoriasis are probably disorders in the immune system, microcirculation disorders in the skin, as well as a weakening of the body's antioxidant defenses, which are observed in smokers. Thus, the impact of smoking on health can be assessed by the appearance of a person.