Search the Community

Dear Mr. NMCB We are responding to your inquiry to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), one of the federal government's National Institutes of Health (NIH). Congratulations on being tobacco-free. You inquired about the reduction of health risks after quitting dip also known as smokeless tobacco. The following resources discuss the risk factors of smokeless tobacco use, but also the health benefits of quitting. We’ve included specific links to these resources below: The American Cancer Society also has a topics page on “Guide to quitting smokeless tobacco” which can be located here: (http://www.cancer.or...bacco-why-quit). This page discusses risks of using smokeless tobacco and reduction of these risks when you quit. “Many studies have shown high rates of leukoplakia in the mouth where users place their chew or dip. One study found that nearly 3 of 4 daily users of moist snuffs and chewing tobacco had non-cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions (sores) in the mouth. The longer you use oral tobacco, the more likely you are to have leukoplakia. Tobacco can irritate or destroy gum tissue. Many regular smokeless tobacco users have receding gums, gum disease, tooth decay (from the high sugar content in tobacco), and bone loss around the teeth. The surface of the tooth root may be exposed where gums have shrunken. All this can cause teeth to loosen and fall out.” The National Center for Health Statistics may be a good resource if you are looking for statistical information associated with smokeless tobacco­: National Center for Health Statistics 3311 Toledo Rd Room 5419 Hyattsville, MD 20782 1 (800) 232-4636 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ and http://www.cdc.gov/n...ats/smoking.htm The NIDCR has online information on smokeless tobacco at the following web site: http://www.nidcr.nih...okelessTobacco/. To learn more, you may wish to visit the following patient support organization web sites that may be sources of additional materials or referrals: Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (http://oralhealthame...programs/nstep/) The American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org/index) You may also find it helpful to contact the following organizations for information: National Cancer Institute BG 9609 MSC 9760 9609 Medical Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-9760 (800) 4–CANCER (422–6237) Fax: (301) 402–5872 http://www.cancer.gov and http://www.cancer.go...okeless-tobacco and https://pubs.cancer....uYLRHKGNQNJzQ== NHLBI Health Information Center National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute P.O. Box 30105 Bethesda, MD 20824–0105 (301) 592–8573 or (240) 629–3255 nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov and http://www.nhlbi.nih.../smo_risks.html National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health Office of Science Policy and Communications Public Information and Liaison Branch 6001 Executive Boulevard Room 5213, MSC 9561 Bethesda, MD 20892–9561 (301) 443–1124 or (240) 221–4007 (Spanish) information@nida.nih.gov http://www.drugabuse.gov or http://www.nida.nih.gov Office on Smoking and Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Coordinating Center for Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K–50 Atlanta, GA 30341–3717 (800) 232–4636 (CDC public Inquiries) or (800) 784–8669 (QUIT NOW) (888) 232–6348 tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov or cdcinfo@cdc.gov http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco or http://apps.nccd.cdc...uicksearch.aspx (Smoking & Health Resource Library) SAMHSA’s Public Engagement Platform Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, MD 20847–2345 (877) 726–4727 or (800) 487–4889 http://store.samhsa.gov/ American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery 1650 Diagonal Road Alexandria, VA 22314–2857 (703) 836–4444 http://www.entnet.org and http://www.entnet.or...ess-Tobacco.cfm National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center Georgetown University 2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 601 Washington, DC 20007–2292 (202) 784–9771 or (202) 784–9777 info@mchoralhealth.org or OHRCinfo@georgetown.edu http://www.mchoralhealth.org and http://www.mchoralhe...ts/tobacco.html To view or order NIDCR publications, visit http://www.nidcr.nih.gov. We hope you find this information helpful. Information Specialist National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services