Introduction.
Tobacco has been hailed as a gift from the gods, a miraculous cure for all of life's ills, a filthy habit, a sad addiction, and the greatest disease causing product known to man. There have been more than 900,000 research papers published so far on this topic. It is common knowledge that tobacco smoking is the single major cause of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease in the United States, contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year (Dani & Biassi, 2001, p.439). More than fifty carcinogens have been identified in tobacco smoke. Some of the toxic agents found include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and formaldehyde. It has been calculated that about 4 million people die every year due to smoking and by the year 2025 about 10 million people will be killed every year by tobacco smoking. (Jabbour, Reddy, Muna & Achutti, 2002). In the US, tobacco causes nearly 1 in 5 deaths, killing more than 440,000 Americans each year. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in our society. Sadly, one fourth to one third of American adults still continue to smoke (Marcus, 1987, p. 409).Surprising as it may sound many smokers need to be made more aware of dangers of tobacco smoking. This report examines the detrimental effects of tobacco smoking on oral health and helps to emphasize and understand yet another good reason to stay away from or quit tobacco. .
Tobacco and general diseases.
It appears that: about 30% of all cancer diseases and deaths; about 90% of all lung cancers; 30% of all cases of ischemic heart disease and strokes; about 80% of myocardial infarctions before the age of 50 years; and 70% of chronic lung diseases (smoker's lung), are caused by tobacco smoking (Allard et al., 1998). The tar in tobacco is responsible for the development of cancer.
