Dentists at Dr.
Michael’s Dental Clinic talk about the new study that showed evidence that
infants exposed to secondhand smoke seem more like to develop tooth decay.
13th
January 2016, Dubai, UAE: Dr. Michael’s Dental Clinic’s Clinical Head Dr.
Marwan Al-Obeidi and Specialist Pediatric Dentist Dr. Chantal Kengo, discuss
the new study published in
the BMJ and its relevance to their practice.
The study concludes that exposure to tobacco smoke at 4
months of age was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of
tooth decay (aka caries or cavities) in deciduous or milk teeth. The risk of
tooth decay was also increased by 1.5-fold among those exposed to smoking in
the household. The effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy was not
statistically significant.
“Less than 5% of parents who attend my clinic as patients
are smokers,” said Dr. Marwan. “We are seeing a general trend of reduction in
the number of smokers in the west, but unfortunately it remains a large scale
problem in the Middle East and in developing and emerging countries as a whole.
Nonetheless, most people tend to stop smoking once they discover they become
parents as their sense of responsibility heightens and it is for this reason
that I have a very low percentage of patients who are parents and smoke.”
“Tooth decay is an infectious disease caused by a lot of
factors including insufficient oral hygiene habits, a diet rich in sugars, the
frequency of sugary food intake and poor quality of teeth and saliva (genes),”
Dr. Chantal said. “It is not rare to find young children (those under 5 years
old) who have cavities. Forty per cent of young children have cavities. This
early form of cavities is a severe disease called Early Childhood Caries.”
“As oral health providers, we look further into other
important things when addressing the problem of tooth decay in children. We
have to take into consideration the parents’ education, socio-economic level of
the family, their access to oral health and the beliefs they live with. Some
parents strongly believe that sweets are a part of childhood. There are a lot
of parents in the UAE who smoke cigarettes and shishas (hookah), I think these
findings will be useful in educating parents about their children’s oral
health.”
Smoking is one of the leading causes of oral cancer and Dr.
Marwan said that oral cancer screening is a very important part of every dental
checkup. “As part of my routine questions, I always ask patients about their
alcohol consumption and their tobacco intake. (If they are smokers) I advise
them on the effects of smoking not only on their general health, with a
particular emphasis on the detrimental qualities of smoking on oral health, but
I also advise them on the effects of secondhand smoking for the people around
them.”
“This recent study carried out in Japan is certainly an eye
opener with regards to yet another harmful effect of smoking,” said Dr. Marwan. “We
are constantly informing our patients and educating them about the several
harmful effects that smoking causes, but for smoking to be proven to cause
dental caries in children who inhale secondhand smoke is certainly a revelation
in the dental world which I am certain will cause shockwaves and help the
health professionals in combating smoking with yet another harmful effect that
they can advise their patients about.”
About Dr.
Marwan Al-Obeidi
Dr. Marwan Al-Obeidi received his
Doctorate in Medical Dentistry from Guy's Hospital, London in 2003. Following
his professional qualification, he practiced maxillofacial surgery at Queen
Alexandra Hospital and the Royal Military Hospital in Haslar, UK. Dr. Marwan
gained membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2007. He has
over 10 years of experience working as a general dental practitioner in both
Surrey and central London. He is an active member of the Member of the Royal
College of Surgeons of England and the General Dental Council (UK).
About Dr.
Chantal Kengo
Dr.
Chantal Kengo has over 30 years of combined training and experience in both
public and private practice in Belgium, Congo, Canada, France, the UK and the
UAE. She received her Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the Université Libre de
Bruxelles School of Dental Medicine (Brussels, Belgium) in 1985. She pursued
further studies and obtained her degree in Pediatric Dentistry from the
Université René Descartes School of Dental Sciences (Paris, France) in 2003.
She later completed an extensive training in Conscious Sedation from the same
university in 2009. She is a member of the Union des Jeunes Chirurgiens
Dentistes (UJCD), in Paris, France and of the Emirates Medical Association.
About Dr.
Michael’s Dental Clinic
Founded in 1997, Dr. Michael’s Dental Clinic represents
the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art, multispecialty dentistry in Dubai,
UAE. It has assembled a team of international dental specialists, hygienists
and support staff for general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, oral and
maxillofacial surgery, implantology, orthodontics, prosthodontics and pediatric
dentistry, serving nearly 40,000 patients in and around the UAE.
ENDS
Media enquiry
For further information, please contact:
Maria Cristina Cubacub
Marketing Director
Dr. Michael’s Dental Clinic
cristina@drmichaels.com
Contact No: +971564423078
