TOKERS AT HIGHER RISK OF GUM DISEASE, STUDY FINDS

TORONTO -- There doesn't seem to be any shortage of reasons cited as
to why marijuana is bad for health. Now from the world of dentistry
comes another: regular pot smoking seems to bump up the risk of
developing gum disease -- and earlier in life than expected.

In a study of more than 900 young adults, researchers found that heavy
tokers were 1.6 times more likely to have at least mild periodontal
disease, compared to those who had never smoked grass.

Heavy users were defined as those who indulged in reefer madness an
average of 40 times per year between the ages of 18 and 32, the
equivalent of almost once a week.

Their risk of having at least one site with more severe gum disease
was triple that of the group who never used the drug, say the
researchers, whose work is published in Wednesday's issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.

What's more, regular pot smokers developed periodontal disease -- a
chronic bacterial infection that can lead to tooth loss -- at a
younger age than is normally seen.

In North America, "we think about periodontal disease as being a
problem after the age of 35," said co-author James Beck, a professor
of dental ecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"These findings, that almost 30 per cent of individuals at age 32 had
periodontal disease, indicate that this younger group may need more
attention," Beck said.

The apparent effects of cannabis were independent of other gum disease
risk factors, including tobacco use and infrequent trips to the dentist.

Dr. Darryl Smith, president of the Canadian Dental Association, said
tobacco use has long been known to increase a person's risk of getting
gum disease, and "there are similarities between cannabis, or
marijuana, and use of tobacco."

Chemicals in cigarette smoke are believed to reduce blood flow in
tissues around the teeth and also to dampen down the immune system's
ability to keep oral bacteria in check.

In fact, the researchers say, cannabis contains more than 400 chemical
compounds, many of them similar to those found in tobacco.