Young users of smokeless tobacco have a tendency to be male, to smoke, and to binge drink, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association (August 2013, Vol. 144:8, pp. 930-938).
R. Constance Wiener, DMD, from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and School of Public Health performed a cross-sectional analysis of participants in the 2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey. A requirement for inclusion was complete data pertaining to smoking, smokeless tobacco use, and other variables of interest.
Adolescents who used smokeless tobacco were more likely to engage in concomitant smoking and participate in other risk-taking behaviors, according to the study findings. Given smokeless tobacco users' frequent, concomitant smoking, Dr. Wiener urged dentists to consider tobacco-cessation efforts on both fronts with their patients.
