Citing statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), poor dental health affects as many as 16% of cigarette smokers. What's more - smokers are four times more likely to develop oral disease than non-smokers. The risks of smoking are mainly cancer, but other conditions such as gum inflammation and dry mouth can also occur.

The first, most important and most noticeable effect of smoking is discolouration of the teeth. When exposed to oxygen, nicotine takes on a yellow colour and, moreover, its molecules penetrate the enamel, causing discolouration. Nicotine also promotes the build-up of tartar and the formation of plaque, which, due to its structure, absorbs more and more tar and becomes darker in colour.

Bad breath is the bane of smokers. Its direct cause is the chemical particles that remain in the mouth, throat and lungs for a long time after smoking. Periodontal disease is another cause of bad breath and, although secondary, the conditions themselves are often caused by smoking.

Breeding bacteria? Unfortunately, yes. Smoking disrupts the bacterial microflora inside the mouth, which creates favourable conditions for pathogenic bacteria, and in addition, the toxins that cigarette smoke contains have the effect of acidifying saliva, giving room for acid-resistant anaerobes to thrive and favour the formation of caries.

Damage to the salivary glands is another problem for smokers. Research conducted at the University of Zagreb confirmed the different quality of saliva of smokers and non-smokers. The results concluded that the salivary glands are damaged, making the saliva of smokers thicker and less protective - hence the dry mouth and tendency to fungal inflammation.

The tongue and gums, as well as the teeth, suffer greatly from cigarette smoking. A hairy tongue is an affliction of more than half of smoking men and a third of smoking women. Smoking is also responsible for up to 40% of periodontal disease, which is caused by dry mouth and different oxygen conditions. Moreover, smoking weakens the entire immune system and has a significant impact on the circulatory system, which should not be forgotten. In addition, the tendency to caries, gum disease and inflammation promote tooth loss, hence this is a significant problem among smokers.

All these changes and pathological deformations of the oral mucosa are harbingers of an increased risk of cancer development, hence the need to think about quitting smoking, not to mention the other consequences people are exposed to [1].