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Secondhand Smoke Linked to Increased Risk of Tooth Decay in Children

There is a high level of dental caries in deciduous teeth in developed countries; at a rate of 20.5% in children, aged 2-5 in the US and 25% in children aged three in Japan. Traditional methods to prevent tooth decay in young children include sugar restriction, oral fluoride supplementation and fluoride varnish.

A new research has suggested that exposing babies to secondhand smoke at the age of four months doubles the risk of them developing tooth decay in the future.

In the study, published in the international online medical journal BMJ October 2015, the team sought to investigate smoking during pregnancy and exposure to household smoke in infants at four months of age as risk factors for dental caries. They analyzed data for 76,920 children born between 2004 and 2010, who attended routine health checkups at 0, 4, 9 and 18 months and at 3 years of age at health care centers in Kobe City, Japan.

Mothers completed questionnaires to provide information about secondhand smoke exposure from pregnancy to 3 years of age and other lifestyle factors, such as dietary habits and oral care. The researchers defined incidence of caries in teeth as at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth assessed by qualified dentists.

After analyzing the data, the team established that 55.3 % of children lived in households with at least one smoker. They found that tooth decay occurred 1.5 times more often among such children compared to those in non-smoking households. This risk is noted two times higher among children who were exposed to tobacco smoke in their households. The effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy was not statistically significant.

The researchers concluded that: “Exposure to secondhand smoke at 4 months of age, which is experienced by half of all children of that age in Kobe City, Japan, is associated with an increased risk of caries in deciduous teeth. Although these findings cannot establish causality, they support extending public health and clinical interventions to reduce secondhand smoke.”

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Root Canal

Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. In order to save the tooth, the pulp (which is the living tissue inside the tooth) will have to be removed together with the nerves, bacteria and decay. The space will then be filled with specially medicated dental materials that will restore the tooth to its full function.

Having a root canal done is a treatment of choice to save a tooth that would otherwise die and have to be removed. Many patients believe that removing a tooth that has a problem is the solution. However, extracting a tooth is actually more costly for the patient since the infection might spread to the adjacent teeth. Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime; nevertheless, on occasion, the tooth would have to be retreated if there are any new infections.

Signs and symptoms for possible Root Canal Treatment:

  1. Swelling or Tenderness.
  2. Sensitivity to hot and cold.
  3. Severe toothache.
  4. An abscess (round bump like pimple) on gums.
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