Tobacco, Nicotine, and Oral Health: Current Evidence, Public Health Perspectives, and the Expanding Role of Dental Professionals-A Comprehensive Review

Dr. Vikram Shad¹, Dr. Unseba^2, , Dr. Archana Nimale³, Dr. Sruthi Kalakota⁴, Dr. Alasifa Arshad⁵, Dr. Syeda Batool Zahra⁶, Dr. Hamedullah Rahimi⁷, Dr Ridhi Bhola⁸ and Dr.Sandeep Singh⁸

¹DMD, MPH, BDS, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

²BDS, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

³BDS, RDH, Government Dental College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

⁴BDS, Drs. Sudha & Nageswara Rao Siddartha Institute of Dental Sciences, Andhra Pradesh, India

⁵BDS, RDH, Baqai Dental college, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

⁶BDS, Islamic International Dental College, Islamabad, Pakistan

⁷MD, Herat University - Afghanistan

⁸MDS, Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Rohtak, India

Cite this paper:
Dr. Vikram Shad, Dr. Unseba, Dr. Archana Nimale, Dr. Sruthi Kalakota, Dr. Alasifa Arshad, Dr. Syeda Batool Zahra, Dr. Hamedullah Rahimi, Dr Ridhi Bhola and Dr.Sandeep Singh. Tobacco, Nicotine, and Oral Health: Current Evidence, Public Health Perspectives, and the Expanding Role of Dental Professionals-A Comprehensive Review. American Journal of Public Health Research. 2026; 14(5):150-159. doi: 10.12691/ajphr-14-5-1

Abstract

Tobacco use remains one of the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and continues to pose a major challenge to oral and public health. In recent years, the growing popularity of alternative nicotine delivery systems, including electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches, has further complicated tobacco control efforts and raised concerns regarding their long-term effects on oral health. This comprehensive review summarizes the current evidence on the biological mechanisms through which tobacco and nicotine products contribute to oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, oral potentially malignant disorders, oral cancer, impaired wound healing, and complications affecting implant and prosthodontic outcomes. The review also compares the oral health effects of conventional and emerging tobacco products and highlights the influence of social determinants on tobacco-related oral health disparities. Particular emphasis is placed on the expanding role of dental professionals in tobacco prevention and cessation through evidence-based behavioral interventions, pharmacotherapy, patient education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Finally, emerging innovations such as artificial intelligence, teledentistry, mobile health, salivary diagnostics, and precision public health are discussed as promising approaches to strengthen tobacco cessation and improve population oral health.

Keywords:
Tobacco Nicotine Oral health Tobacco cessation Dental professionals Public health Electronic cigarettes Periodontal disease Oral cancer

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