The International No Smoking Day celebrated worldwide today (Wednesday) is intended to encourage a full day of abstinence from tobacco smoking to heighten public awareness of the negative health effects of smoking, which cause millions of cases of illness and death among the population.

The harms of smoking have been well known for years, and have an effect on a large number of systems in the body, the main of which is the respiratory system – the oral cavity, pharynx and lungs. There are over 7,000 different chemicals emitted from cigarette smoke, among them: nicotine – a toxic and addictive substance known to cause birth defects, ammonia – a substance toxic to tissues that is added to tobacco to increase the effect of nicotine, carbon monoxide – a compound that competes with oxygen for its place in hemoglobin, which reduces the percentage of oxygen reaching the tissues, and cyanide – a toxic chemical compound.

Dr. Ayelet Zlotogorski-Horwitz, a specialist in oral medicine, explains: "Tobacco smoking harms oral health in many aspects. The soft tissues of the mouth (such as the gums and the mucous membrane lining the inside of the oral cavity) and the hard tissues (such as the teeth and jawbones) are adversely affected by the heat emitted by smoking, but mainly by the chemical and molecular effects of the substances created by the process of burning tobacco and released into the oral cavity.

Some substances encourage inflammation and thus significantly increase the risk of advanced gum disease (periodontitis) which can lead to receding gums, tooth mobility and early tooth loss as well as worsening of general diseases such as diabetes. Smoking also leads to a change in the bacterial composition of the mouth and damage to healing processes that may in turn increase the chance of dental implant failure.

Smoking a cigarette (Photo: Eng Image)

Various toxins released during smoking are associated with the appearance of pre-malignant lesions in the oral cavity and even the development of oral cancer. Studies show that about 75% of oral cancer cases in the United States are related to smoking. Moreover, tobacco users, by smoking or in other ways, are up to 7 times more likely to develop malignancies in the head-neck area, compared to those who do not.

Smoking can also damage the oral cavity in other ways – external staining of teeth, discoloration of the soft tissues to brown (smokers' melanosis), dry mouth, greater susceptibility to fungus and bad breath (halitosis)."

cigarette, smoking, illustration (photo: istockphoto)

In recent years, the use of electronic cigarettes has increased, especially among young people. Electronic cigarettes are marketed as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, however, it is important to remember that in the process of vaporizing the chemical liquid, in addition to nicotine, carcinogens are also released that have health implications for the oral cavity and the entire body.

Another phenomenon known among smokers is the damage to the sense of smell, because cigarette smoke contains chemicals and toxins that are poison and destruction for the mucous membranes in the nasal cavity. When the smoke comes into contact with the mucous membrane in the ceiling of the nasal cavity where the olfactory receptors are located, a local edema is formed which swells and then the receptors "drown" in the edema and they are not accessible to bond with the olfactory molecules which are chemical molecules.

Dr. Ariel Margolis, an expert in endoscopic surgeries of the nose, sinuses and the base of the skull, explains about the level of functioning of the sense of smell among smokers: "We know that the damage to the sense of smell in the general public of smokers is up to about 25% of smokers and the range of damage is from mild damage to to complete loss of the basic ability to smell. The prevalence of the loss of the sense of smell among smokers increases with age, with men suffering from it more than women. There is also a significant difference in damage to the sense of smell among 'heavy' smokers, who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day, compared to 'light' smokers, who smoke less than a pack of cigarettes a day. Beyond that, among 'heavy' smokers there is also damage to the sense of taste, which is not characteristic among 'light' smokers."

Dr. Margolis adds that the damage to the sense of smell is much more significant and even more prolonged among people who smoke for more than ten years. A few weeks. Unfortunately, there is no targeted treatment for damage to the sense of smell, except for stopping smoking," says Dr. Margolis. "There is treatment using steroid sprays for the edemas that have formed, but the general recommendation is to let time take its course."

Dr. Ayelet Zlotogorski-Horwitz is a specialist in oral medicine, in the Oral, Maxillofacial and Salivary Gland Surgery Unit at A.R.M., the Multidisciplinary Center for Otorhinolaryngology. Dr. Ariel Margulis is a specialist in endoscopic surgeries of the nose, sinuses and base of the skull in R.M