Oral Microbiome of Tobacco Smokers: A Shift in Composition

Abstract

Background: The use of tobacco may affect the human oral microbiome resulting in numerous diseases including cancer. There are more than 1.3 billion tobacco smokers worldwide with 4.5 million adult Nigerians addressed as tobacco addicts. Tobacco smoking causes oral cancer, color change on the teeth, halitosis, periodontitis and other health implications. Aim: The study was aimed at determining the changes caused by tobacco smoking on the oral microbiome of cigarette smokers and the shift toward organisms that may cause oral cancer and lung diseases. Methods: One hundred and twenty subjects made of 60 tobacco smokers and 60 nonsmokers were enrolled for the study. Oral swabs were collected from the oral cavity of the subjects using sterile swab sticks under standard aseptic methods. The specimens were subjected to microscopy and culture. Organisms were identified using standard microbiological techniques. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 26.9 ± 3.4 years, with minimum age 18.0 years. There was a higher rate of bacterial colonization 86.7% among smokers than nonsmokers (χ2 = 299.0, P = 0.0002). Most members of the oral biofilm belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae with Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most prevalent isolate among smokers while Pseudomonas aeruginosa 4 (20.0%) were the most prevalent bacterial isolates among the control subjects. Tooth decay 19 (36.5%) was the oral cavity disorder among smokers associated with the highest number of isolates, followed by halitosis 18 (34.6%) and mouth ulcer 7 (13.4%). Halitosis was mostly associated with Candida species 5 (71.4%). There was a statistically significant association between oral cavity conditions and microbial isolates among smokers (χ2 = 299.0, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Smoking may have altered bacterial acquisition and oral mucosal colonization in favor of periodontal pathogens. This study have shown that smoking predisposes to oral cavity diseases which may predispose to oral cancer or lung diseases. The campaign against smoking should therefore be intensified as this may help to improve the oral health of smokers.

The evolutionary history of the human oral microbiota and its implications for modern health

“…Nondietary inputs in the body can also drastically influence oral microbiota, such as cigarette smoking, drinking, chewing tobacco, and other drugs, although the effects are complex. For example, cigarette smoking significantly alters oral microbiota composition and results in the depletion of several common oral species, especially in the phylum Proteobacteria 51‐53 ; however, the use of dokha tobacco has similar impacts to cigarette smoking, while shisha tobacco consumption does not 52 . Similarly, heavy alcohol consumption influences oral microbiota composition, as well as diversity, with unique impacts observed in individuals who only drink wine 54 .…”

Comparative study on bacterial flora of oral cavity of smokers and non-smokers

“…9 After incubation the zone diameter was measured for each antibiotic and was compared with standard provided by CLSI guideline. 10 The antibiotics discs used were Chloramphenicol (30µg), tetracycline (30µg), ofloxacin (5µg), Ciprofloxacin (5µg), Vancomycin (5 µg), Erythromycin (10µg) and penicillin (10 µg). Thereby the zone of inhibition is interpreted as sensitivity(S) or resistant(R).…”