Smoking may kill beneficial bacteria in the mouth
There are a number of benefits to smoking cessation, which may be why nicotine gum and patches are among the most popular over the counter medications sold at pharmacies.
There are a number of benefits to smoking cessation, which may be why nicotine gum and patches are among the most popular over the counter medications sold at pharmacies. Researchers from Ohio State University recently discovered that people who smoke cigarettes are less likely to have friendly bacteria living in their mouths.
Nonsmokers have two different populations of bacteria thriving in their mouths. The beneficial strains help keep the harmful ones in check. In order to understand how smoking affects these organisms, the scientists conducted an experiment on 15 smokers and 15 nonsmokers. Oral swab samples were collected one, two, four and seven days after a professional cleaning.
Results showed that over time, the mouths of nonsmokers had fewer pathogens and were better able to reestablish a community of friendly bacteria, which the body tolerated. However, smokers had more harmful bacteria. Additionally, their gums were more inflamed, which suggested that the body was indiscriminately trying to fight off both good and bad species.
"Dentists don't often talk to their patients about smoking cessation," said researcher Purnima Kumar. "These results show that dentists should take a really active role in helping patients to get the support they need to quit."
The study is published in the journal Infection and Immunity.
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