A study published in the International Journal revealed that exposure to tobacco smoke in the early years of life can disrupt the mineralization process of tooth enamel, even if the teeth appear healthy and free of visible defects.
The researchers conducted their experiment on newborn mice, exposing them to cigarette smoke twice a day, from day two until day twenty-eight of their age, and then compared the condition of their teeth with a group that was not exposed to tobacco smoke, using advanced techniques that included micro-CT scanning, electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and enamel hardness tests.
The researchers did not observe any apparent deformities, a decrease in tooth size, or a decrease in tooth hardness, but under the microscope, the teeth of mice exposed to secondhand smoke showed wide gaps between the surface columns of enamel, in addition to a significant decrease in phosphorus content and an increase in the percentage of carbon in the molars, which indicates a defect in the process of tooth mineralization.
Exposure to smoke also slowed weight gain, with the average weight of the mice in the first group being about 11% lower than in the other group at the end of the experiment.
The researchers emphasize that the study was conducted on mice, so its results cannot be directly applied to children. However, the study shows that tobacco smoke during the period of tooth formation may cause subtle changes in the enamel layer that cannot be detected during routine examination.
