Smokeless Tobacco & Your Health

Smokeless tobacco includes chewing tobacco, which may also be called oral tobacco or spit tobacco. Smokeless tobacco also includes both moist and dry snuff, snus, and dissolvable tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco is not a safe form of tobacco, even if that is often how it is marketed by tobacco companies. Smokeless tobacco carries many serious risks.

Smokeless tobacco can cause cancers of the:

*  Mouth, tongue, cheek & gums

*  Esophagus

*  Pancreas

Smokeless tobacco can also cause:

*  Sores in the mouth called leukoplakia that can become cancer

*  Stained teeth

*  Bad breath

*  Gum disease, cavities, tooth decay, and tooth loss

*  Bone loss around the teeth

*  Heart disease

*  High blood pressure

*  Increased risk of heart attack and stroke

*  Pregnancy complications and low birth weight