Rishi Sunak’s controversial bill to ban Generation Alpha from ever being allowed to smoke or vape was presented to the Commons for the first time last week.
At present the ban would see the legal smoking age rise every year, so that anyone who is born after January 1st 2009 would be unable to ever legally purchase any tobacco products – including vapes and cigarettes.
While many MPs opposed the ban during debates, what could the theoretical ban mean for the long-term dental health of residents if passed?
Commenting on the proposed bill, Dr Smita Mehra, BDS MFGDPRCS and Principal Dentist at London-based The Neem Tree Dental Practices, says:
“Smoking bans and the long-term impact of restrictions on our overall health has been a widely debated topic for decades.
“With the widespread impact of vaping – especially on the health of younger generations – another huge subject of discussion within the current media landscape, this attempt to crack down on the number of teenagers and adolescents taking up the highly addictive habits is something that many perceive as necessary.
“When we talk about the impact of smoking on our health, often the dangers tend to focus on the impact on the lungs, heart, and even skin. Yet what smokers and vapers often fail to recognise, is that the associated risks of such habits start in their mouths.
“Nicotine – no matter how it is ingested – can have a variety of detrimental and irreversible effects on oral health. These can include a dry mouth, inflamed and sore gums, tooth decay and cavities, increased build-up of tartar and plaque on the teeth, bad breath, yellow staining on the teeth, and complications following tooth, gum, and oral surgery.
“Smoking for a prolonged period also traumatises and severely affects tissue, and restricts blood flow to the gums, making them more vulnerable to infection – which is often one of the main contributors to gum disease, a condition that can result in tooth loss or other serious health problems, such as mouth cancer, if left untreated.
“Damaged gum tissue as a result of smoking can also lead to bone loss in the jaw which holds the teeth in place.
“Whether this ban on smoking will be passed by the government is still uncertain. However, if successful, restricting the amount of risk the dental wellbeing of younger generations will be exposed to can only bring positive outcomes for their future health.
“In fact, studies have revealed that over two-fifths (45%) of UK adults over the age of 30 have some kind of periodontal disease, which is more common among smokers. So if we can reduce the number of people inflicting the dangerous effects of smoking in the first place, we can hopefully bring this statistic down in the years to come.”
