Smokers Visit Dentist Less Often, Despite Having Worse Oral Health

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A report compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that smokers visit the dentist less often than non-smokers, despite having worse standards of oral health.

The report, which was released on Tuesday, contained data from more than 16,000 adults aged between 18 and 64 and showed that smokers are more likely to suffer from oral health problems, but less likely to see a dentist than non-smokers. The survey revealed that more than one third of smokers had oral health problems, including toothache, gum infections, stained teeth and jaw pain, which was more than twice the proportion of non-smokers.

The survey also revealed that 1 in 5 smokers had not visited a dentist in the last five years, compared to 1 in 10 non-smokers or former smokers.

Robin Cohen, statistician at the CDC and co-author of the report, said that it appears that smokers are aware that they have a higher risk of oral health problems, but are not doing anything about it.

Half of the smokers surveyed said that they avoided going to the dentist because they cannot afford it. A different survey carried out by the CDC showed that smoking is more prevalent among low income households, despite the cost of cigarettes rising year on year.

 

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