| There have been a number of studies
about the effects of second-hand smoke on children. Now
there is another, this time linking second-hand smoke to
cavities.
Researchers at the University of
Rochester, New York, and the Center for Child Health
Research found that children exposed to second-hand
smoke developed higher blood levels of cotinine, a
byproduct of nicotine. These children developed more
cavities in their primary teeth than children who were
not exposed to smokers.
"Exposure to tobacco smoke
nearly doubles a child's risk of having cavities,"
study author and pediatrician Andrew Aligne told
Reuters.
The study found that a type of
bacteria introduced into children's mouths - possibly by
their parents' kisses - produces a lactic acid that
causes tooth decay. The Reuters article notes that
children's primary teeth are particularly susceptible
because they have a thinner protective coating.
The researchers studied 3,500
children ages 4 to 11, and concluded that 25% of the
children with cavities would not have developed them if
environmental smoke was eliminated. The full text of the
research article is in the March 12, 2003, issue of JAMA:
Journal of the American Medical Association. The
abstract is available online at
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/289/10/1258.
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