Association of passive smoking with dental caries and salivary biomarkers among 5-10 years old children of Muradnagar, Ghaziabad

Passive Smoking and Oral Health of Infants, Preschoolers, and Children: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

Almost half of the world's children experience passive smoking, which is linked to numerous oral health conditions. The aim is to synthesize data on the impact of passive smoking on oral health of infants, preschoolers, and children.

AIMS AND METHODS

A search was conducted across Medline (via EBSCOhost), PubMed, and Scopus up to February 2023. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).

RESULTS

The initial search produced 1221 records and after removal of duplicates, screening by title and abstract, and full-text assessment, 25 studies were eligible for review and data extraction. The majority of studies (94.4%) found a correlation between passive smoking and increased prevalence of dental caries with three studies suggesting a dose-response relationship. Prenatal passive smoking exposure in 81.8% of studies indicated an increased dental caries experience compared to postnatal exposure. Low parental education, socioeconomic status, dietary habits, oral hygiene, and gender affected the level of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and dental caries risk.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this systematic review strongly suggest a significant association between dental caries in the deciduous dentition and passive smoking. Early intervention and education on the effects of passive smoking on infants and children will allow for the improvement in oral health outcomes and reduction in smoking-associated systemic conditions. The results justify all health professionals paying more attention to passive smoking when conducting pediatric patient histories, contributing to improved diagnosis and appropriate treatment planning with more suitable follow-up schedules.

IMPLICATIONS

The evidence from this review that environmental tobacco smoke and passive smoking is a risk factor for oral health conditions, both prenatally and postnatally during early childhood, justifies all health professionals paying more attention to passive smoking when conducting pediatric patient histories. Early intervention and appropriate parental education regarding the effects of secondhand smoke on infants and children will allow for the minimization of dental caries, improvement in oral health outcomes and overall reduction in smoking-associated systemic conditions for the children exposed.

Effect of second hand smoke on systemic, oral and psychological health of primary school children in western Uttar Pradesh. A biochemical analysis

BACKGROUND

Second Hand smoke (SHS) exposure to children causes several systemic problems like asthma, dental problems like caries and effects overall well being. This study was conducted to study impact of SHS on primary school children by associating it with dental caries, cotinine level, asthma severity and overall well being.

METHODS

Case control study was conducted amongst 200 children 9-15 years old that came to dental college in Muradnagar. Children who lived in smoking households were identified as SHS subjects-100 children and those who lived in non smoking households were identified as control group- 100 children. Parents completed questionnaire regarding their smoking status. In children's questionnaire severity of asthma was determined by using expert panel report (EPR3), dental caries was recorded by dmft index and psychological assessment of children was done using WHO- 5 well being index. Collection of unstimulated saliva of children was done in sterile plastic tubes and cotinine level was measured using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Students t test and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for analysing data.

RESULTS

Mean number of children suffering from asthma was higher in SHS subjects in comparison to control group i.e. 348.9 ±166.509 and 247.3±15.86 respectively. dmft and WHO- well being scores increased as level of cotinine increased. Mean cotinine level was higher in SHS subjects than control group i.e. 348.9 ±166.509 and 247.3±15.86 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

SHS has an adverse impact on young children reflected by poor dmft scores and psychological well being, increased cotinine levels and asthma severity in comparison to control group.

Comparison of Interventional Methods to Motivate and Change the Behavioural Stage of Smokers to Quit Smoking- A Hospital Based Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective:

Addictions can be beaten if started off with a true motivation to quit it. Enhancing motivation is an important part of overall treatment for smoking cessation as it increases a smoker’s courage and enthusiasm to quit smoke. This study aimed to assess effectiveness of various interventional methods to motivate unmotivated smokers with a focus on changing behavioural stage of smokers to quit.

Methodology:

A single blinded trial was conducted at the outpatient department of ITS dental college and hospital among precontemplation stage smokers allocated into 4 groups and given interventional therapies like general counselling only(group 1), counselling and intra oral camera assessment (Group 2), counselling as well as carbon monoxide monitoring(Group 3)whereas fourth group(Group 4) given a combination therapy of all of them. A baseline evaluation of nicotine dependence and behavioural stage of the smoker was assessed. The patients were then evaluated on presence on their scheduled follow up visits done at interval of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Descriptive statistics were addressed and the association was evaluated using Pearson chi square test. Any p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

Majority of smokers were males(88% ) and about 48.8% of them were highly dependent smokers . The change in precontemplation behavioural stage was assessed on basis of follow up visits after interventional therapy which was significantly higher in group 4 receiving combination therapy, followed by carbon monoxide therapy ,counselling and intra oral camera assessment and the least visits in behaviour counselling group (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

A combination of counselling and other motivational aids therapy is best way possible to help smokers focusing a change on the behavioural stage of the patient from precontemplation to preparation stage.

The Effect of Secondhand Smoking on Dental Caries among Schoolchildren in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim:

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between dental caries and exposure to secondhand smoking in mixed teeth among Saudi children.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional study was designed to target schoolchildren aged between 6 and 13 years in their mixed dentition stage. A cluster random sample of schools teaching first to sixth grades from different regions in Riyadh city was used. Data were obtained by self-reported questionnaires and clinical dental examinations. Questionnaires comprised sections related to sociodemographic, behavioral, health characteristics, and questions related to mother and father smoking status, type, and duration of smoking, and whether parents smoked inside homes or not. The clinical dental examination was based on the basic methods of the World Health Organization criteria for decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) (1997). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t test, and one-way analysis of variance.

Results:

Of the 302 participating schoolchildren, 56% were females, 72% were Saudi nationals, and 84% were of normal weight. Of the total 3246 teeth examined, DMFT was found in 1922 teeth (mean DMFT = 6.36). Only eight mothers (2.7%) were smokers, seven of them smoked inside their homes. Majority of fathers were smokers (110, 37%) and 82% smoked inside their houses. It had been found that 26% of schoolchildren were exposed to secondhand smoking. The mean DMF scores were higher among schoolchildren with smoking fathers and mothers, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.05).

Conclusion:

The DMFT among Saudi schoolchildren was 6.36. Children, who are exposed to secondhand smoking by their family members, are more likely to have dental caries in their mixed dentitions.