Smokeless Tobacco

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers

Summary

Many people who chew tobacco or dip snuff think it's safer than smoking. But you don't have to smoke tobacco for it to be dangerous. Chewing or dipping carries risks like

• Cancer of the mouth
• Decay of exposed tooth roots
• Pulling away of the gums from the teeth
• White patches or red sores in the mouth that can turn to cancer

Recent research shows the dangers of smokeless tobacco may go beyond the mouth. It might also play a role in other cancers, heart disease and stroke.

Smokeless tobacco contains more nicotine than cigarettes. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that makes it hard to stop using tobacco once you start. Having a quit date and a quitting plan can help you stop successfully.

NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Start Here

• Smokeless Tobacco (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• BeTobaccoFree.gov (Department of Health and Human Services)

Related Issues

• Cancer and Tobacco Use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Smokeless Tobacco: Health Effects (Department of Health and Human Services)

Specifics

• Chewing Tobacco: Not a Safe Alternative to Cigarettes (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• E-Cigs, Menthol & Dip (National Cancer Institute, Tobacco Control Research Branch)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tobacco, Smokeless (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Patterns of Tobacco Use and its Relation to Oral Precancers and...
• Article: Smokeless Tobacco Products (STPs) Harbour Bacterial Populations with Potential for Oral...
• Article: Cross-sectional study on smokeless tobacco use, awareness and expenditure in an...
• Smokeless Tobacco -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Also in Spanish

Children

• Smoking Stinks! (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Smokeless Tobacco (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish