The Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on Early Childhood Caries

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between exposure to secondhand smoke and dental caries in an infant population. Methods: Electronic health records were reviewed for infants aged 6-36 months who were seen in the University of Illinois-Chicago Infant Oral Health Clinic. Caries experience was measured by tabulating the number of decayed (cavitated) or decalcified tooth surfaces recorded on the patients’ odontograms. Household smoking status was determined by guardian responses to tobacco use questions in the patients’ medical history. The association between household smoking and caries was tested by using stratified bivariate analysis to calculate age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: A total of 296 patients met study inclusion criteria. Of those, 180 (61%) had at least one decayed surface and 74 (25%) had at least one decalcified surface. Forty-six (16%) patients lived in a household with a current smoker. Living in a household with a current smoker was not significantly associated with having a decayed tooth surface (OR 1.25; 95% CI: 0.65, 2.43; P=.501) However, infants who lived in a household with a current smoker was were significantly more likely than those in smoke-free households to have at least one decalcified tooth surface (OR 2.50; 95% CI: 1.29, 4.86; P=.006) and had a higher mean number of decalcified surfaces (1.70 v. 0.74; P=.01). Conclusion: Exposure to secondhand smoke in the household may increase infants’ risk for dental decalcifications. Future research should control for other potential confounding factors.