More Bad News For Potheads: Gingivitis & Peridontitis

Well, heads, you can add gum and peridontal disease to lung ca and
COPD. And of course it has already been established that the chronic
bacterial infection associated with peridontitis is not just a dental
problem, but rather a contributor to coronary artery disease.

Now tell me again that cannibis is a harmless natural herb with
medicinal properties.
______________

Smoking pot may fuel risk of early gum disease: Study

Feb 05, 2008 05:00 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS

There doesn't seem to be any shortage of reasons cited as to why
marijuana is bad for health. Now from the world of dentistry comes
another: regular pot-smoking seems to bump up the risk of developing
gum disease – and earlier in life than expected.

In a study of more than 900 young adults, researchers found that heavy
tokers were 1.6 times more likely to have at least mild periodontal
disease, compared to those who had never smoked grass.

Heavy users were defined as those who indulged in reefer madness an
average of 40 times per year between the ages of 18 and 32, the
equivalent of almost once a week.

As a group, their risk of having at least one site with more severe
gum disease was triple that of the group who never used the illicit
drug, say the researchers, whose work is published in Wednesday's
issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

What's more, regular pot smokers developed periodontal disease – a
chronic bacterial infection that can lead to tooth loss – at a younger
age than is normally seen in the general population.

In North America, "we think about periodontal disease as being a
problem after the age of 35," said co-author James Beck, a professor
of dental ecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"These findings, that almost 30 per cent of individuals at age 32 had
periodontal disease, indicate that this younger group may need more
attention," Beck said.

The apparent effects of cannabis were independent of other gum disease
risk factors, including tobacco use, socioeconomic status and
infrequent trips to the dentist, the researchers found.

Dr. Darryl Smith, president of the Canadian Dental Association, said
tobacco use has long been known to increase a person's risk of getting
gum disease, and "there are similarities between cannabis, or
marijuana, and use of tobacco."

"I see the effects of periodontal disease daily in my practice, and
certainly a very high percentage of those people are (tobacco)
smokers," Smith said from his dental office in Valleyview, Alta., a
small, rural community northwest of Edmonton.

Chemicals in cigarette smoke and in other forms of tobacco are
believed to reduce blood flow in tissues around the teeth and also to
dampen down the immune system's ability to keep oral bacteria in
check, leading to chronic gum inflammation.

"It would seem very likely that there could be a similar effect with
marijuana, and certainly we know that marijuana contains a lot of
potential toxins," he said.

In fact, the researchers say, cannabis contains more than 400 chemical
compounds, many of them similar to those found in tobacco.

Their study involved 903 participants born in Dunedin, N.Z., between
1972 and 1973, who provided details of the previous year's cannabis
use when aged 18, 21, 26 and 32. They were also given dental exams at
age 26 and 32.

Researchers found that the prevalence of regular cannabis use more
than doubled from age 18 to 26 and then fell slightly by age 32. As
well, pot smokers were more likely to be male, to have lower
socioeconomic status and were less likely to make dental visits.

Plaque levels at age 32 were significantly higher among frequent weed
users than among those who never smoked pot or had only used it
occasionally.

In an editorial accompanying the study, Philippe Hujoel of the
University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle said the
findings add to "growing evidence that destructive periodontal disease
occurs at a much younger age than previously believed."

"The findings ... suggest that cannabis smoking could be added to the
list of recreational drugs with potential dental consequences," writes
Hujoel. "Primary prevention of destructive periodontal disease (as
well as dental caries) may lead to benefits beyond dental health and
may have greater implications for general health than realized so
far."

http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/300675

On Feb 5, 7:30*pm, mellow@home (waybackjack) wrote:

"The findings ... suggest that cannabis smoking could be added to the
list of recreational drugs with potential dental consequences," writes
Hujoel. "Primary prevention of destructive periodontal disease (as
well as dental caries) may lead to benefits beyond dental health and
may have greater implications for general health than realized so
far."

http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/300675










Sucking HOT BURNING gases would not seem to be a sensable method of
pleasure or medicine, but try telling that to the fixated ciggy
suckers. Do you smoke ?