Originally published November 10 2005
Health experts say smoking hookah causes considerable dental health problems
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Journal of Periodontology has published a study on the effects of hookah smoking, and its findings suggest that hookah is more detrimental to dental health than cigarette smoking.
Hookah smoking has been picking up steam in some cities, and some people think that the practice isn't as damaging to people's health as cigarette smoking.
But a new study in the November issue of the Journal of Periodontology says hookah smoking is just as bad -- or even worse -- than cigarette smoking for users' teeth.
A hookah is a water pipe filled with a fusion of tobacco, fruit and molasses fired by charcoal.
Hookah smoking is a social custom in India, Asia and the Middle East, but hookah lounges are now springing up in U.S. cities.
In the latest study, researchers found that the impact of water-pipe smoking is about the same magnitude as that of cigarette smoking.
The prevalence of tooth-related diseases was 30 percent for water-pipe smokers, 24 percent for cigarette smokers and 8 percent for nonsmokers.
Researchers found increased levels of nicotine and cotinine in plasma, saliva and urine, suggesting that water-pipe smoking affects tissues in the same way as cigarette smoking.
"Even though the smoke is filtered out by water, inhalation of toxic substances is similar to or even greater than that of cigarette smoking," said Dr. Kenneth Krebs, president of the American Academy of Periodontology.
"Not only does water-pipe smoking include the same substances as cigarette smoke such as carbon monoxide and tar, tobacco used for water-pipe smoking contains 2 to 4 percent nicotine verses 1 to 3 percent for cigarettes."
With sweet flavors available for hookah smoking -- such as apple, mango, cappuccino and even Coca-Cola -- doctors are particularly worried about teen addiction.
They said adolescents who otherwise might not try cigarettes might give the sweet hookah a try, reported WBAL-TV in Baltimore.
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