Salivary LL-37 and periodontal health in children exposed to passive smoking

Passive smoking and early childhood caries: when adult addiction affects children's oral health

DATA SOURCES

Medline via EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Scopus up to February 2023.

STUDY SELECTION

Observational studies in the English language published in peer-reviewed journals, encompassing children aged 0 to 6 years exposed to environmental tobacco smoke and passive smoking, with a focus on oral health conditions in deciduous dentition.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Data were extracted from 25 papers, encompassing study details, oral health, and smoking exposure. Confounding factors such as parental education, income, diet, fluoride exposure, gender, and oral hygiene practices were also identified. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Frequency effect size was calculated for health variables and smoking exposure.

RESULTS

Most studies identified a correlation between passive smoking and an increased prevalence of dental caries. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and dental caries risk were influenced by factors such as low parental education, socioeconomic status, dietary habits, oral hygiene, and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this systematic review strongly indicate a significant association between dental caries in deciduous dentition and passive smoking.

Passive smoking induces nasal biofilms in children

OBJECTIVES

Passive exposure of children to cigarette smoke has been implicated in several recalcitrant respiratory childhood disorders. However, to our knowledge, no information is available regarding the connection between passive exposure to tobacco smoke and the formation of nasal biofilms in children. The present study was therefore geared at investigating the hypothesis that exposure of children to household passive smoking may induce the formation of nasal biofilms.

METHODS

The study included 20 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years with a positive history of prolonged exposure to household passive smoke, and who required inferior turbinate reduction together with other procedures. Another 20 children who required similar surgeries but with negative history of exposure to household smoking formed the control group. None of children, in the study and control groups, had evidence of adenoids or infective rhinosinusitis. At the time of surgery, a tiny biopsy was taken from the lower border of the inferior turbinate. The specimens were processed for scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS

The nasal mucosa of 11 out of 20 children with positive history of exposure to passive smoking showed biofilm formation. Ten of these biofilms grew S. aureus. On the other hand, only one child in the control group showed nasal biofilm. Longer exposure to tobacco smoke and higher urinary cotinine levels were associated with more frequent biofilm formation. Likewise, children of heavy smokers developed biofilms more frequently than other children. On the other hand, the age of the children and nasal allergy had no effect on the chances of biofilm formation.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a preliminary report showing that children exposed to household passive cigarette smoking may develop nasal biofilms. Development of these biofilms may increase susceptibility of affected children to persistent sinonasal and possibly other respiratory infections.