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Secondhand smoke may cause tooth decay in 'baby teeth'

In Japan, children who were exposed to secondhand smoke were at a twofold increased risk for caries in deciduous teeth, and according to recently published data. 

“Exposure to tobacco smoke at 4 months of age was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of caries, and the risk of caries was also increased among those exposed to household smoking, by 1.5 fold,” the researchers wrote.

To assess the correlation between secondhand smoke exposure and tooth decay, researchers conducted a retrospective study of 76,920 children in Kobe City, Japan. The researchers defined dental caries as decayed, missing or filled teeth according to dentist assessment without X-ray.

Results demonstrated that at age 3 years, children living in a smoke-free household had a 14% risk for a dental caries. Children who were living in a household with a smoker, but with no evidence of smoke exposure, had a 20% risk for a dental caries at age 3, and children with evidence of smoke exposure had a 27.6% risk for least one dental caries.

No significant association was seen between maternal smoking during pregnancy and tooth decay during childhood.

Decayed teeth were the most common form of dental caries, according to the researchers.

The researchers noted that due to the study’s observational nature, no direct causality can be determined from the results, as tooth decay may have been caused by other factors.

“Exposure to secondhand smoke at 4 months of age…is associated with an increased risk of caries in deciduous teeth. Although these findings cannot establish causality, they support extending public and clinical interventions to reduce secondhand smoke,” the researchers concluded. – by Casey Hower

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.