A MODERN VIEW ON THE INFLUENCE OF TOBACCO HEATING MEANS ON THE CONDITION OF PERIODONTAL TISSUES

Tobacco smoking is one of the urgent social and medical problems of our time, as well as the cause of many serious diseases (oncological, cardiovascular, respiratory, etc.). The prevalence of smoking in Ukraine remains at a fairly high level: on average, 40.1% of men and 8.9% of women smoke (this is almost ¼ of the entire adult population). The harmful effects of tobacco smoking are well known to doctors of various specialties, but few people pay attention to the fact that smoking also causes negative consequences for the oral cavity, because the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and periodontal tissue are the first to be hit by the harmful factor. 
The prevalence of smoking among the population of Ukraine aged 12 and older in 2020 was 16.5%, which is 2% less than in 2019. Since 2006, when electronic cigarettes appeared on the world market, there has been a constant increase in their sales. This increase in sales is reflected in survey data, especially in high-income countries, and is linked to the benefits of e-cigarettes, which some people believe carry fewer health risks compared to traditional cigarettes, due to their lack of toxic chemicals that are formed in large quantities during the combustion of tobacco. Scientific data does not allow us to claim that the use of any type of tobacco product can be safer for health, compared to others. According to a 2020 WHO report, the use of tobacco heating devices containing nicotine leads to symptoms of nicotine dependence. The aerosol of the above-mentioned cigarettes can cause malfunction of some cells of the human body. The reason lies in the composition of their liquids: most of them contain toxic substances metals, carbonyls, harmful aromas, etc. Therefore, the best way to get rid of all risks is to completely stop using tobacco and nicotine in any form. Therefore, it is important for the dental professional to understand the difference between the effects of new products and traditional smoking, while encouraging the patient to completely quit smoking.