By Nicole Foy, San Antonio Express-News
SAN ANTONIO -- For those thinking about giving up the smokeless
tobacco habit, here is some good news: An Air Force study says most
pre-cancerous changes in the mouth caused by snuff and chewing
tobacco disappear within weeks after quitting.
The study, published this month in the Journal of the American
Dental Association, illustrates the importance of giving up
smokeless tobacco products before such lesions become cancerous,
said the lead author of the study, Lt. Col. Gary Chad Martin, a
dentist who studied basic military trainees at Lackland Air Force
Base in San Antonio.
``I wish this would have shown that there was a high occurrence
of pre-cancerous lesions and it would have scared the heck out of
everybody,'' Martin said. ``Instead, it showed how fortunate we are
that the body is able to heal itself. But it takes quitting before
the process starts.''
Other studies have concluded that the risk of getting oral
cancer is up to four times greater for smokeless tobacco users than
non-users. The latest study demonstrated that such products,
especially snuff, are associated with pre-cancerous lesions in the
mouth lining known as leukoplakias.
Leukoplakia is a disease characterized by white, leathery
patches on the tongue or gum. The patches can become irritated by
the tobacco juice.
Martin said he chose to study military trainees because they are
forbidden from using tobacco products during the six weeks of basic
training. The situation provided a controlled setting in which to
study the benefits of quitting smokeless tobacco products.
At the beginning of basic training, Martin performed oral
examinations on 3,051 male trainees at Lackland. About 10 percent --
or 302 trainees -- reported they were regular users of snuff or
chewing tobacco. Of those users, 119 had leukoplakia.
Once training ended, these trainees were re-examined, with the
exception of 10 young men who previously had been discharged. Of
the 109 remaining, the lesions of 106 trainees had completely
disappeared.
The three trainees whose lesions remained were evaluated further
and the patches were found to be benign, or not cancerous.
``I keep stressing that there was clinical resolution
demonstrated here, which doesn't preclude the possibility that
these products could have done some residual damage at an even more
basic, DNA level,'' Martin cautioned.
Other studies have indicated that somewhere between 3 and 6
percent of oral leukoplakias go on to become cancerous, Martin
said.
Martin, who was a dental resident at the University of Texas
Health Science Center during the study, now is an assistant
professor at the Center for Oral Health Studies at the Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
Martin said he's noticed an increasing trend of cigarette
smokers opting instead for smokeless products to try and cut their
habit.
``The problem is, as we have deglamorized cigarette smoking,
people have switched over to snuff because it is more discreet,''
he said. ``But it carries some of the same health risks and can be
very damaging to the lining of the mouth.''
Snuff and chewing tobacco can cause cancer and a number of
non-cancerous oral conditions. It can also lead to nicotine
addiction and dependence.
Martin's former professor, who contributed to the journal
article, said the study offers hope for young males who want to
quit smokeless tobacco products.
``This points to the value of stopping,'' said Dr. John Brown,
chairman of community dentistry at the University of Texas Health
Science Center. ``The earlier you stop, the better chance you have
to avoid the problems that can come along with it.''
