The Role of Nicotine in Caries Risk and Development

By Youstina S. Beshay, BS and Richard L. Gregory, PhD

Dental caries is a common infectious disease that affects all ages. Despite improvements in oral health, dental caries continues to be a major health issue globally and in the United States. According to the 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 14% of children ages 6 to 11; 29% of children ages 9 to 11; 58% of adolescents ages 12 to 19; and 67% of adolescents ages 16 to 19 had untreated dental caries.¹ The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reported that 27.4% of adults ages 20 to 44 had untreated dental caries during the same timeframe.²

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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