Pubdate: Tue, 19 Feb 2008
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Page: HE08
Copyright: 2008 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Sandra G. Boodman
Referenced: The study 'Cannabis Smoking and Periodontal Disease Among 
Young Adults' http://drugsense.org/url/6oUxvD4X
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/gum+disease
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

POT SMOKE MAY RUIN A SMILE

It may not just give you a bad case of the munchies: Regular 
marijuana smoking appears to increase young adults' risk of gum 
disease, a problem typically associated with aging.

As part of a long-term health study, a team led by researchers at the 
Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand followed about 900 people 
born in 1972 and 1973 to assess the effects of marijuana on 
periodontal disease.

While it is well known that cigarette smoking and spotty use of 
dental services are risk factors for gum problems that can lead to 
inflammation and eventual tooth loss, the role of marijuana alone had 
not been examined previously.

The researchers divided participants into three groups: About 33 
percent did not smoke pot, 47 percent smoked fewer than 40 times per 
year, and 20 percent smoked more than 41 times per year, beginning at 
age 18. All had dental checkups at age 26 and 32.

Overall about 42 percent showed some signs of periodontal disease at 
32. After controlling for dental checkups, tobacco use and presence 
of plaque, researchers found that about 24 percent of the heaviest 
smokers showed some signs of gum problems, compared with 11 percent 
of infrequent users and 6 percent of those who did not smoke pot.

The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical 
Association, also found that heavy cannabis users were more likely to 
be men of lower socioeconomic status who visited the dentist infrequently.
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