Ref: CHB/Flash/2006/30                                             Date: November 13, 2006

CHB NEWS FLASH

Alarming Increase in tobacco chewing:

The popularity of chewable tobacco i.e. pariki, jazbaat pan, mawo particularly among the young and school going children is a growing concern for CHB. There are already several cases of pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth, identified recently. But what's the reason for this?

Doctors views:

Health experts are convinced that a rise in pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth, are caused by chewing tobacco and smoking. Mouth cancer has a 10-year incubation period. It is very hard to treat and spreads very quickly. 

As health experts know that children started using tobacco ten years ago, they fear an epidemic of oral cancer will hit the community. They say 15 year-old starting to chew tobacco, may get pre-cancerous growths after just two years of chewing. Recent survey carried out show one out of ten people in our community is a tobacco chewer.

Possible Signs & Symptoms:

o        A sore, irritation, lump or thick patch in your mouth, lip, or throat

o        A white or red patch in your mouth

o        A feeling that something is caught in your throat

o        Difficulty chewing or swallowing

o        Difficulty moving your jaw or tongue

o        Numbness in your tongue or other areas of your mouth

o        Swelling of your jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable

o        Pain in one ear without hearing loss

See a dentist or physician if any of the above symptoms lasts for more than two weeks

Betel Nut/Areca Palm Nut (Supari):

The most important active principles of betel nut are arecaine and arecoline, alkaloids which are comparable to nicotine in its stimulating, mildly intoxicating and appetite-suppressing effects on the mind. It also contains the alkaloids arecaidine, arecolinde, guracine, (guacine), guvacoline and a number of others that have not yet been studied extensively. When consumed on a regular basis, betel chewing is likely to have harmful effects on health including cancers of the stomach and mouth and damage to gums.

Slaked Lime (Chuno) - Calcium Hydroxide- Ca (OH)_2.

Increases the mouth Ph (makes it alkaline) and this aids easier absorption of nicotine via the mouth lining.

Catechu gum (Katho)

Catechu gum (Acacia tree gum or boiled areca extract). This is used to help bind the ingredients in the quid into a consistent paste. It aids in chewing.

Increased Ph and aggressive alkali action have serious oral health implications. Both the lime and the concentrated areca nut extracts can cause oral submucous fibrosis and this makes the mouth tissue prone to cancer

Tobacco & (Teenso/Ekso Biss Etc.)

Tobacco is the most hazardous ingredient added to pans. There are a range of tobacco products with some having a very high tar content (over 12mg per cigarette equivalent). The main products added are:

·         Shredded leaf (Zarda) - Comes as 120 Baba Zarda. 320 etc.  

·         Extract of tobacco in glycol gel - sold as Qimam bottles

·         Wet snuffs- made from ground tobacco and various other additives

·         Dry snuff (masala tobacco) - Gutkas (chewed) and Naswar (snorted)

The risk of developing oral cancers is very high as tobacco often sits next to the tongue and mouth walls as a masticated paste for up to 1-5 hours.  The mouth tissues are vulnerable to cancer as areca nut (supari) and lime (chuno) causes oral submucous fibrosis and the additional exposure to tobacco juices raises the risks.

CHB Message to our youths – “Quit before it is too late”.

“Community’s health – CHB’s priority”