New research suggests, Puffing cigarettes can increase the bacteria and build a fortified city in the mouth and fight against the immune system, thereby making you harm to oral diseases.
Bacteria form biofilms on most surfaces including teeth, heart valves and the respiratory tract.
Biofilms are composed large amount of microbial communities often made up of complex, interacting and co-existing multi species structures.
"Once a pathogen establishes itself within a biofilm, it can be difficult to eradicate as biofilms provide a physical barrier against the host immune response, can be impermeable to antibiotics and act as a reservoir for persistent infection," said one of the researchers David Scott from University of Louisville School of Dentistry in the US.
"Further, biofilms allow for the transfer of genetic material among the bacterial community and this can lead to antibiotic resistance and the propagation of other virulence factors that promote infection," Scott noted.
One of the most prevalent biofilms is dental plaque, which can lead to gingivitis, a gum disease found in almost half the world's population and to more severe oral diseases, such as chronic periodontitis.
Bacterial biofilms also can form on heart valves resulting in heart-related infections, and they also can cause a host of other problems, the researchers said.
If you smoke, it may be putting your gums and mouth at a higher risk of bacterial infection. Smokers risk of gum disease is twice that of nonsmokers. when you smoke, the infection in body take a hit and weakens immune systems. smoking can also discolor the teeth and puts at increased risk for white patches in the mouth that are referred to as leukoplakia.
- Mayuka
