Tobacco use by adolescents and young adults: oral health effects and cessation strategies

Background: The use of smoking and smokeless tobacco worldwide has greatly increased in recent years, especially among adolescent boys and young men. Tobacco use can produce a wide range of negative effects on oral tissues, including periodontal tissue destruction and the onset of oral pre-malignant lesions. In the United States, major gains have been made to reduce smoking among adults. Similar gains, however, have not been realized with adolescents. In recent years, substantial interest has been directed to tobacco cessation studies with adolescents. The previously limited interest in adolescent cessation programs was attributable in large part to the mistaken assumptions that: (1) adolescent tobacco users were not dependent on nicotine and could stop at any time; (2) adolescents did not want to quit; and (3) adult tobacco cessation programs would be effective with adolescents. Oral health professionals should prevent tobacco use by adolescents and provide cessation counseling services or referral for appropriate treatment. Objective: To review the epidemiology, health effects and cessation programs of tobacco use among adolescents and young adults. Methods: Original papers, reviews and current guidelines on this subject, published in English from 2002 to 2007, were located in the MEDLINE/Pubmed database. Additional publications were obtained by searching the reference lists of retrieved studies. Contents: 1) Tobacco use by adolescents and young adults: epidemiology 2) Effects of tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) on the oral health status of adolescents and young adults: incipient periodontitis, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis, oral pre-malignant lesions, gingival recessions; 3) Tobacco cessation programs for adolescents and young adults: the role of oral health professionals; 4) Future directions in research.