SMOKELESS TOBACCO

What is smokeless tobacco?

Smokeless tobacco is sometimes known as chewing tobacco or spitting tobacco. It is available in two forms, snuff and chewing tobacco. Both types of smokeless tobacco are held in the mouth inside the cheek or between the cheek and gum.
Smokeless tobacco is known to contain at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals, medically known as carcinogens. The main carcinogens in smokeless tobacco are the tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Some of the other cancer-causing agents found in smokeless tobacco are formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, arsenic, benzopyrene, nickel, and cadmium.
Nicotine is also found in smokeless tobacco, like all tobacco products. Although nicotine is absorbed more slowly from smokeless tobacco than from cigarettes, 3 to 4 times more nicotine is absorbed from smokeless tobacco than from a cigarette, and the nicotine from smokeless tobacco remains longer in the bloodstream. Nicotine is the substance responsible for tobacco addiction.

• In 2007, about 3% of U.S. adults aged 26 and older were users of smokeless tobacco, while around 5% of people aged 18 to 25 reported using smokeless tobacco. Rates of use among young people (under the age of 18) are higher than those of adults.
  
• In 2007, more than 13% of male high school students and more than 2% of female high school students reported using smokeless tobacco.

Smokeless tobacco is not the same thing as smokeless cigarettes. Smokeless cigarettes (also termed e-cigarettes) are designed to provide nicotine in vapor to the user without burning tobacco. However, the smokeless cigarettes still provide addictive nicotine to the user and secondhand nicotine to others.

What are the health risks of smokeless tobacco?

A number of significant health risks are associated with the use of smokeless tobacco.

Cancer risk

Users of smokeless tobacco are at an increased risk (up to 50% according to the American Cancer Society) for certain types of cancer, most notably cancer of the oral cavity (including cancers of the cheek, gums, lips, tongue, and floor and roof of the mouth. Some studies have suggested a link between the use of smokeless tobacco and the development of pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and stomach cancer.

Other health risks

Those who use smokeless tobacco have an increased risk of:

• developing gum diseases and gum recession (pulling away of the gum tissue from the teeth);
  
• leukoplakia (whitish patches inside the mouth that can become cancerous);
  
• abrasion (wearing down) of teeth,;
  
• staining of teeth;
  
• tooth decay; and
  
• tooth loss.

All of the above have been linked to smokeless tobacco use.
Some studies have shown a link between an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart attacks and stroke) in users of smokeless tobacco, although these risks are not as great as those observed in smokers. Further research is needed to determine whether or not smokeless tobacco use presents a significant risk of heart disease and stroke

Is smokeless tobacco safer than cigarette smoking?

Smokeless tobacco has been widely marketed as a way for cigarette smokers to use tobacco in smoke-free areas, so it is safer for other people because they are not exposed to secondhand smoke. However, in 1986, a statement from the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that users of smokeless tobacco should know that smokeless tobacco "is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes." Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive, as well as a number of known cancer-causing chemicals. Any form of tobacco use poses an increased risk of developing cancer, and no level is considered safe.
While the risks of getting cancer from smokeless tobacco are lower than those associated with smoking cigarettes, the health risks of smokeless tobacco are very real and potentially fatal. Smokeless tobacco use also has not been shown to be helpful for smokers who want to quit smoking.

What is being done to reduce the use of smokeless tobacco?

Parents are encouraged by health care givers, school authorities, and public health officials to include the topic of smokeless tobacco use when they discuss the hazards of any tobacco use with their children, especially teen aged children. It is better never to start than try to stop the addictive tobacco (nicotine) habit in any form.
Legislation has been enacted to help reduce the number of people who use tobacco products and reduce adverse health risks associated with tobacco use. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate tobacco products in the U.S., which will allow for increased regulation of marketing and advertising of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco

What treatments are available to help people quit using smokeless tobacco?

Smokeless tobacco is an addiction that can be overcome. As with cigarette smoking, various support systems, programs, and even prescription medications are available to help people quit using smokeless tobacco. For example, nicotine gum (Nicorette), nicotine patches (Habitrol, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol) and lozenges can be used to wean the person from nicotine addiction. In addition, prescription medicines such as bupropion SR (Zyban and Wellbutrin SR) and varenicline tartrate (Chantix) have been effective in some patients that are trying to quit nicotine.
SOURCE:MEDICINENET.COM