There is sometimes an assumption that social smoking doesn’t do much harm, if any. This is incorrect as every cigarette does harm. Any amount of smoking puts an individual at a higher risk of cancer and lung disease.7
Hukkah or shisha is another form of social smoking that is popular, and many assume it is less harmful that cigarette smoking. Although it is in a different form, shisha contains many of the same harmful substances as cigarettes including carbon monoxide and chemicals known to be carcinogens.7 The amount of toxins inhaled by a shisha smoker in an hour long session is the same as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes.8 Therefore, shisha smokers may be at great risk of developing cancers, heart and circulatory diseases.
Arguably one of the most important elements of our role as dental professionals is to support patients in achieving oral health. Smoking cessation is one element of this support and being able to answer patients’ questions and alleviate some of their concerns is key. Many patients are unaware of the support dental professionals can provide and don’t know that there are many services within healthcare that can help them along their journey to quit smoking so it’s essential that all dental professionals signpost patients to these services where appropriate.
