Scott L. Tomar

TL;DR: It is concluded that smoking is a major risk factor forperiodontitis and may be responsible for more than half of periodontitis cases among adults in the United States.

TL;DR: Cigarette smoking prevalence has decreased in most states, with the exceptions of increases in cigarette smoking among white and male high school seniors and in the use of smokeless tobacco among white males ages 18-34 years, reductions in tobacco use occurred in every subgroup examined.

TL;DR: Public health action continues to be warranted to reduce the substantial morbidity and mortality caused by tobacco use and involves preventing the onset of use, treating tobacco dependence, protecting non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke, promoting nonsmoking messages while limiting the effect of tobacco advertising and promotion on young people, increasing the real (inflation-adjusted) price of tobacco products, and regulating tobacco products.

TL;DR: It is concluded that screening by means of visual and tactile examination to detect potentially malignant and malignant lesions may result in detection of oral cancers at early stages of development, but that there is insufficient evidence to determine if screening alters disease-specific mortality in asymptomatic people seeking dental care.

TL;DR: It is indicated that dentists and physicians may not be maximizing their opportunities to advise their patients who use tobacco to quit, or they are not adequately communicating to their patients the importance of quitting.