Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies

Smokeless tobacco (ST) is an alternative to smoking, which involves not the burning of tobacco. Although ST has been used for thousands of years, its health effects are not well characterized, and it is the subject of misconceptions throughout society. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the risks...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Karishma Gangwani, Nandika Row, Shashi Anand, Srijan Acharya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:BioMed
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8430/4/4/35
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850239980717211648
author Karishma Gangwani
Nandika Row
Shashi Anand
Srijan Acharya
author_facet Karishma Gangwani
Nandika Row
Shashi Anand
Srijan Acharya
author_sort Karishma Gangwani
collection DOAJ
description Smokeless tobacco (ST) is an alternative to smoking, which involves not the burning of tobacco. Although ST has been used for thousands of years, its health effects are not well characterized, and it is the subject of misconceptions throughout society. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the risks associated with ST use. We conducted a comprehensive search of the scientific literature to identify studies reporting associations between tobacco chewing and the risk of oral cancer and premalignant lesions. Our review discusses the molecular mechanisms associated with ST components, along with the role of ST use in speech impairment and cancer progression. We also examine the effectiveness of tobacco cessation strategies and review the existing perceptions held by ST consumers. Our findings indicate significant health risks associated with ST use, including increased cancer risk and speech impairments. As societal perceptions and misconceptions about ST are important factors that influence its use, there is a need for comprehensive public awareness campaigns to correct these misconceptions and to promote healthier lifestyle choices. We call for further research to improve cessation interventions and to increase public awareness of relevant research discoveries. By providing a thorough discussion of the health impacts of ST, we aim to inform policy decisions and public health strategies to reduce the prevalence of ST use.
format Article
id doaj-art-0689f0c4d2e440ffb19537f0af84e286
institution OA Journals
issn 2673-8430
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series BioMed
spelling doaj-art-0689f0c4d2e440ffb19537f0af84e2862025-08-20T02:01:00ZengMDPI AGBioMed2673-84302024-10-014444646310.3390/biomed4040035Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation StrategiesKarishma Gangwani0Nandika Row1Shashi Anand2Srijan Acharya3Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USADepartment of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru 575001, Karnataka, IndiaDepartment of Pathology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USADepartment of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USASmokeless tobacco (ST) is an alternative to smoking, which involves not the burning of tobacco. Although ST has been used for thousands of years, its health effects are not well characterized, and it is the subject of misconceptions throughout society. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the risks associated with ST use. We conducted a comprehensive search of the scientific literature to identify studies reporting associations between tobacco chewing and the risk of oral cancer and premalignant lesions. Our review discusses the molecular mechanisms associated with ST components, along with the role of ST use in speech impairment and cancer progression. We also examine the effectiveness of tobacco cessation strategies and review the existing perceptions held by ST consumers. Our findings indicate significant health risks associated with ST use, including increased cancer risk and speech impairments. As societal perceptions and misconceptions about ST are important factors that influence its use, there is a need for comprehensive public awareness campaigns to correct these misconceptions and to promote healthier lifestyle choices. We call for further research to improve cessation interventions and to increase public awareness of relevant research discoveries. By providing a thorough discussion of the health impacts of ST, we aim to inform policy decisions and public health strategies to reduce the prevalence of ST use.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8430/4/4/35nicotine receptorsnicotinenicotine metaboliteoral cancerquality of lifespeech impairment
spellingShingle Karishma Gangwani
Nandika Row
Shashi Anand
Srijan Acharya
Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
BioMed
nicotine receptors
nicotine
nicotine metabolite
oral cancer
quality of life
speech impairment
title Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
title_full Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
title_fullStr Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
title_full_unstemmed Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
title_short Smokeless Tobacco: A Comprehensive Review of Molecular Effects, Societal Perception, and Cessation Strategies
title_sort smokeless tobacco a comprehensive review of molecular effects societal perception and cessation strategies
topic nicotine receptors
nicotine
nicotine metabolite
oral cancer
quality of life
speech impairment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8430/4/4/35
work_keys_str_mv AT karishmagangwani smokelesstobaccoacomprehensivereviewofmoleculareffectssocietalperceptionandcessationstrategies
AT nandikarow smokelesstobaccoacomprehensivereviewofmoleculareffectssocietalperceptionandcessationstrategies
AT shashianand smokelesstobaccoacomprehensivereviewofmoleculareffectssocietalperceptionandcessationstrategies
AT srijanacharya smokelesstobaccoacomprehensivereviewofmoleculareffectssocietalperceptionandcessationstrategies