Smoking Said to Raise Risk for Root Canal
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Smokers are 70% more likely than nonsmokers to have root canals, researchers from the Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine reported Thursday at an American Medical Assn. briefing.
Epidemiologist Elizabeth Krall Kaye and her colleagues studied 811 men who had not initially received a root canal for 30 years, identifying 998 teeth that ultimately required the procedure. Cigar and pipe smoking did not increase the risk. Stopping smoking for nine years returned the risk to normal.
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