In young children, exposure to cigarette smoke indicates a higher incidence of caries formation than in children without this stimulus, according to the American Dental Association. This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to the Health Quality Agency, this is the first study in the United States, which clearly demonstrated the relationship between passive smoking and caries. Although the occurrence of dental caries in children has significantly decreased in the US in recent years, little progress has been observed in children living in poor families. Studies based on family surveys and health assessments conducted among approximately 4,000 children aged 4-11 years, That children have a high risk of developing caries if they have high levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine found in the released smoke.

Approximately 32% of children with high levels of cotinine associated with second-hand smoke had superficial caries of primary teeth, compared with 18% of children with lower cotinine levels. A higher risk of caries in children exposed to secondhand smoke remained even after excluding such factors as poverty and rare visits to the dentist. However, the study did not reveal an obvious relationship between passive smoking and permanent tooth caries.

An early study showed that nicotine promotes the growth of bacteria that lead to the formation of caries. Bacteria in turn can be passed on to children from smoking parents at a kiss.

According to the study of the leading specialist C. Andrew Aligne of the Children's Health Center in Rochester, g.. New York, the harm of second-hand smoke was confirmed and the need to create conditions for children excluding tobacco smoke.

Health. Sumy. Ua.