An Effect of Passive Smoking on General and Oral Health of Children

Abstract

The adverse effects of passive smoking, as a significant public health hazard, can begin in early fetal life in the uterus and proceed on childhood. Based on the data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009, almost 700 million kids had been exposed to tobacco smoke by 1.2 billion smokers in their households. Although the dangerous side effects of passive smoking can be seen in different age groups, the first and foremost adverse effect has been reported in children. The variety of health complications, including the dental problem, are related to passive smoking in children. Serious fetal malformations, developmental retardation, Sudden Infantile Death Syndrome (SIDS), premature birth, decreased head circumference size, otitis media, pulmonary disease, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, different types of childhood çancers are most systemically disorders in passive smoker children. On the other hand, dental caries, periodontal diseases, delayed dental deveoplment, cleft lip and cleft palate are mostly reported in these groups. In this study, we review the relation of passive smoking with the general and dental problems among the children who have been exposed to tobacco smoke. The results support the critical importance of the topic as a public health awareness and demonstrate the necessity of early parental education. © 2021, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.