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Smokers Have Less Dense Bones and Fewer Teeth

Department of Chemical Pathology, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas', St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH

Women and men who smoke are more slender than their non-smoking counterparts and have a bone density appro priate to their degree of slenderness. As a result, they are more likely to sustain a fracture than their non-smoking punterparts. The lower bone density found in smokers may arise because of less stress and strain imposed on the skeleton by a slim physique. Smokers have poorer oral hygiene and less teeth than their non-smoking counter parts. The relationship between smoking and tooth patho logy remains unclear: smoking may either act via a direct mechanism based on the toxicity of tobacco smoke or indirectly through body weight (ie the effect on teeth is part of a wider effect on bone structure).

The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, Vol. 114, No. 5, 265-269 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/146642409411400511


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