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Health Risks Related to Smokeless Tobacco

Topic Overview

Smokeless tobacco products include chewing tobacco, snus, and snuff. Although these products are less harmful than smoking cigarettes, they are just as addictive as cigarettes and do have serious health risks.

Smokeless tobacco causes the following health risks:1

  • White, leathery patches (leukoplakia) that form on the inside of the cheek or on the gum. These patches can turn into cancer of the mouth (oral cancer), involving the lip, tongue, or cheek.
  • Dental problems, such as abrasion of teeth, gum recessions, and periodontal bone loss.
  • An increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Nicotine from smokeless tobacco can lead to nicotine dependence. This can make quitting smokeless tobacco just as hard as quitting cigarettes.

References

Citations

  1. Fiore MC, et al. (2000). Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Also available online: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/treating_tobacco_use.pdf.

Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry
Last Revised July 6, 2011

Last Revised: July 6, 2011

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry

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