1. How Smoking Affects Your Looks & Life Slideshow
2. Tips to Quit Smoking Slideshow
3. Take the Quiz on Smoking

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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In this Article

• What is smokeless tobacco?
• What are the health risks of smokeless tobacco?
• Cancer risk
• Other health risks
• Is smokeless tobacco safer than cigarette smoking?
• What is being done to reduce the use of smokeless tobacco?
• What treatments are available to help people quit using smokeless tobacco?
• Smokeless Tobacco At A Glance
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Smokeless Tobacco Index

Smokeless tobacco is an addiction that can be overcome. As with cigarette smoking, various support systems, programs, and even prescription medications are available to help people quit using smokeless tobacco. For example, nicotine gum (Nicorette), nicotine patches (Habitrol, Nicoderm CQ, Nicotrol) and lozenges can be used to wean the person from nicotine addiction. In addition, prescription medicines such as bupropion SR (Zyban and Wellbutrin SR) and varenicline tartrate (Chantix) have been effective in some patients that are trying to quit nicotine.

• Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine as well as many known carcinogens (cancer-causing substances).
  
  
• More nicotine is absorbed by smokeless tobacco use that by smoking a cigarette.
  
  
• Smokeless tobacco use is a risk factor for the development of oral cancers and precancers.
  
  
• Other health risks of smokeless tobacco include gum disease, tooth decay and tooth loss, and possible links to other cancers and cardiovascular disease.
  
  
• Products that are designed to help smokers quit can also be used to help quit smokeless tobacco use.

REFERENCES:

American Cancer Society. Smokeless tobacco and how to quit.
<http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Quitting_Smokeless_Tobacco.asp>

Boffeta P, Hecht S, Gray N, Gupta P, Straif K. Smokeless tobacco and Cancer. Lancet Oncol 2008 Jul;9(7):667-75.

eMedicine.com. Smokeless tobacco lesions.
< http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1077117-overview>

Gupta R, Gurm H, Bartholomew JR. Smokeless tobacco and cardiovascular risk. Arch Intern Med 2004 Sept;164(17):1845-9.

U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Smokeless tobacco and cancer, questions and answers.
<http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/smokeless>