Effects of tobacco use on general health: relevant information for dentistry (I)--part 1: pulmonary diseases and other malignancies

• Published in: Schweizer Monatsschrift fur Zahnmedizin = Revue mensuelle suisse d'odonto-stomatologie = Rivista mensile svizzera di odontologia e stomatologia Vol. 118; no. 5; p. 405
• Main Authors: Krüll, Matthias, Bornstein, Michael M, Saxer, Ulrich P, Walter, Clemens, Ramseier, Christoph A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: Switzerland 2008
• Subjects: Humans; Lung Diseases - etiology; Lung Diseases - immunology; Lung Neoplasms - etiology; Mouth Neoplasms - etiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - etiology; Smoking - adverse effects; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - adverse effects; Toll-Like Receptors - metabolism
• ISSN: 0256-2855

This fifth part of a series of publications from the Swiss task force named "Smoking--Intervention in the private dental office" on the topic "tobacco use and dental medicine" focuses on the effects of tobacco use on general health. A significant increase of tobacco use associated morbidity and mortality for many cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases has been well documented in the literature. In this review, the epidemiologic background as well as the pathophysiological fundamentals for tobacco-mediated pulmonary diseases is presented, focusing especially on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. In addition, a causal relationship between nicotine abuse and an increased carcinoma incidence for other malignancies but lung cancer will be discussed. Regarding the evidence in the present literature, it is undisputable that smoking is the most preventable cause for COPD and lung cancer.