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While it’s widely known that smoking is harmful, new research highlights yet another compelling reason to quit: it disrupts the delicate balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in your mouth. These findings were recently published in The ISME Journal.
The microbes inhabiting your body play a far more significant role than many realize. From bacteria and viruses to fungi, these microorganisms reside both inside and outside your body. The genetic composition of such a microbial community is referred to as a microbiome, and its health, diversity, and balance can determine whether you experience sickness or health.
A balanced oral environment hosts approximately 600 distinct bacterial species. While scientists understand that these bacteria respond to dietary habits and oral hygiene, limited research has explored the impact of smoking. To address this, researchers at New York University initiated a study involving saliva samples.
The study involved 1,204 participants already enrolled in cancer risk studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. Among them, 112 were smokers, 571 were former smokers, and 521 had never smoked. Participants were asked to rinse their mouths with approximately two teaspoons of Scope mouthwash and then spit into a test tube. The collected samples were frozen and analyzed for DNA to identify the bacterial composition of each individual's oral microbiome.
Unsurprisingly, smoking significantly impacted oral bacteria. Smokers exhibited a distinct microbial profile compared to nonsmokers, with reduced levels of certain species and increased levels of others. Notably, smokers had 10 percent more Streptococcus species—commonly known as strep bacteria—than nonsmokers. The study revealed that smokers had elevated levels of 150 bacterial species and reduced levels of 70 others.
However, there is a silver lining. Former smokers, particularly those who had quit for 10 or more years, showed oral bacterial profiles nearly identical to those of nonsmokers. This suggests that the oral microbiome can recover after quitting smoking, though the exact timeframe for this recovery remains unclear.
"Our research is the first to demonstrate the significant impact of smoking on the oral microbiome," stated senior investigator and epidemiologist Jiyoung Ahn in a press release. "However, further studies are needed to confirm whether these changes compromise the body's ability to defend against cancer-causing agents in tobacco smoke or contribute to diseases in the mouth, lungs, or digestive system."
