Tobacco heating systems (THS) are new products on the market, advertised as a less harmful alternative for smokers, in which tobacco is heated and not burned like in conventional cigarettes. This ...research explored the effect on periodontal tissues in contact with heating and burning tobacco residual products (smoke and tobacco).
The sample included 66 subjects, patients of the Clinic of Dentistry in Rijeka, Croatia, aged 26-56 (median 38), 64% females. Three age- and gender-matched groups were formed (each
= 22): non-smokers, classic cigarettes smokers and THS smokers. Probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were primary research parameters.
Three groups differed in average PD and CAL (
≤ 0.002), with cigarette smokers having the highest and non-smokers the lowest values (
≤ 0.002). THS consumers generally had lower values of periodontal indices than smokers, but only CAL differed significantly (
= 0.011). Periodontal indices CAL and PD were worse in THS consumers than non-smokers, but they did not reach a level of statistical significance. Cigarette smoking was the only predictor of periodontitis (average CAL ≥ 4 mm) in logistic regression models, with an odds ratio of 4.7 (95% confidence interval 1.2-18.3;
= 0.027).
Exposure to nicotine-containing aerosol of THS in adults has a less harmful effect on periodontal tissues, measurable through periodontal indices (PD and CAL), compared to burning tobacco of conventional cigarettes. THS, presented as an alternative product to classic cigarettes, also has a detrimental effect on the periodontium.
This study investigated the impact of tobacco exposure, specifically through heating and burning, on periodontopathogens in the subgingival microbiome among clinically healthy individuals and those ...diagnosed with periodontitis. The sample comprised 66 subjects (26–56 years, median 38 yrs; 64% females) classified as non-smokers, classic cigarette smokers, and tobacco heating system (THS) smokers (each N = 22). Full-mouth periodontal examination was performed, and 330 paper-point samples from periodontal pockets were collected. Next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was conducted to identify the composition of subgingival microbiome. Periodontitis prevalence among the groups was ranked as THS (41%) < non-smokers (44%) < cigarette smokers (68%), without statistically significant differences between the groups. The number of perio-pathogenic species was higher in subjects with periodontitis compared to those without (median 7 vs. 6 species; p = 0.005) but without significant differences between exposure groups: non-smokers (6) = smokers (6) < THS (6.5). When combining exposure and periodontal status, each smoker group had more perio-pathogenic species than non-smokers: non-smokers without periodontitis (5) < smokers without periodontitis (5.5) < THS without periodontitis (6); non-smokers with periodontitis (6.5) < THS with periodontitis (7) = smokers with periodontitis (7). Multiple linear regression indicated periodontitis as the sole predictor of perio-pathogenic species quantity, irrespective of the type of tobacco consumption, sex, age, or oral hygiene (R2 = 0.163; p = 0.005). In conclusion, the quantity of perio-pathogenic species in the subgingival microbiome was more influenced by periodontitis than by exposure to tobacco smoke, regardless of whether it was heated or burned.
Important new findings on sex and gender in the former Soviet Bloc!
Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia is a groundbreaking look at the new sexual reality in Central, ...Eastern, and Southeast Europe after the fall of communism. The book presents the kind of candid discussion of sexual identities, sexual politics, and gender arrangements that was often censored and rarely discussed openly before the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1987. Authors from a variety of disciplines examine how the changes caused by rapid economic and social transformation have affected human sexuality and if those changes can generate the social tolerance necessary to produce a well-rooted democracy.
The first theoretical and empirical body of work to sexuality in (post)transitional countries, Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia examines the effects of the profound social transformation taking place in the former Soviet Union. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, the book addresses vital issues of this transformation, including gender relations, gender roles and sex norms in transition, sexual representations in the media, patterns of adult sexual behavior, gay and lesbian issues, sex trafficking, health risks, and sex education. The book also presents a critical examination of whether the fall of communism has, in fact, induced changes in sexuality and gender relations.
Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia examines the changes in sex and gender in countries in transition, including:
the negative consequences of Serbia's 'state-directed non-development' during the 1990s
the causes and consequences of trafficking in women from the Russian Federation
the ongoing debate over human rights for sexual minorities in Romania
the effects of two Yugoslavian films released in the 1990s that feature transgender characters
sexualities in transition in
