Introduction: Periodontal disease and oral cancer are common health hazards. Epidemiological investigations show that smoking, periodontal disease and oral cancer are closely related. Tobacco is one of the major risk factors for periodontitis and oral cancer.
Methods: A systematic literature review was performed. To identify relevant studies, the following online databases were searched using specific keywords: PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI.
Results: Tobacco not only possesses an addictive effect, but it aggravates periodontal disease by promoting the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, inhibiting autoimmune defense, aggravating the inflammatory reaction, and aggravating the loss of alveolar bone. According to current evidence, tobacco significantly aggravates the development and progression of periodontal disease and oral cancer, and periodontal disease may be related to the prevalence of oral cancer.
Conclusions: Clinicians should strongly recommend that smokers undertake a strategy to stop smoking to avoid the exacerbation of nicotine-related periodontal disease and to reduce the incidence of oral cancer.
Keywords: alveolar bone; inflammation; oral cancer; periodontal disease; tobacco.