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American Morning

Smoking & Cavities

Aired March 12, 2003 - 08:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We already know what secondhand smoke can do to the lungs, but if you smoke, your children can be more likely to develop cavities. Sanjay is off. Elizabeth Cohen is in, and she joins us now from CNN Center with more.
Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Paula, It's yet another reason not to smoke around your children. Let's take a look at what this study found. What it found is that when kids were exposed to passive smoke, they were twice as likely to have cavities in their baby teeth, and if that weren't reason enough to stop smoking around your kids, secondhand smoke can also contribute to bronchitis in children, to sudden infant death syndrome, to ear infections to asthma, and also to cancer and to learning problems, and that's not even mentioning the problems that it can cause when a fetus is exposed to secondhand smoke. Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in childhood at a cost of $4.5 billion a year -- Paula.

ZAHN: So what does smoking have to do, or passive smoking, have to do with kids' teeth? I don't quite understand the connection here.

COHEN: It does seem a little odd. When the nicotine gets into a child's mouth, nicotine suppresses the immune system and it promotes the growth of bacteria, and that's why it can cause cavities in those baby teeth.

ZAHN: And the health of the baby teeth obviously affects the permanent teeth later on?

COHEN: It can affect the permanent teeth later on, because if is there a lot of tooth decay and baby teeth, it can cause some problems in the gums. It can also lead to speech problems. It can also lead to eating problems. So even though those baby teeth do fall out, they are important.

ZAHN: Really, fascinating study. Thanks for joining us. Elizabeth Cohen, good to see you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 12, 2003 - 08:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We already know what secondhand smoke can do to the lungs, but if you smoke, your children can be more likely to develop cavities. Sanjay is off. Elizabeth Cohen is in, and she joins us now from CNN Center with more.
Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Paula, It's yet another reason not to smoke around your children. Let's take a look at what this study found. What it found is that when kids were exposed to passive smoke, they were twice as likely to have cavities in their baby teeth, and if that weren't reason enough to stop smoking around your kids, secondhand smoke can also contribute to bronchitis in children, to sudden infant death syndrome, to ear infections to asthma, and also to cancer and to learning problems, and that's not even mentioning the problems that it can cause when a fetus is exposed to secondhand smoke. Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in childhood at a cost of $4.5 billion a year -- Paula.

ZAHN: So what does smoking have to do, or passive smoking, have to do with kids' teeth? I don't quite understand the connection here.

COHEN: It does seem a little odd. When the nicotine gets into a child's mouth, nicotine suppresses the immune system and it promotes the growth of bacteria, and that's why it can cause cavities in those baby teeth.

ZAHN: And the health of the baby teeth obviously affects the permanent teeth later on?

COHEN: It can affect the permanent teeth later on, because if is there a lot of tooth decay and baby teeth, it can cause some problems in the gums. It can also lead to speech problems. It can also lead to eating problems. So even though those baby teeth do fall out, they are important.

ZAHN: Really, fascinating study. Thanks for joining us. Elizabeth Cohen, good to see you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com