By Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Study looked at 1,000 people who had used cannabis or tobacco daily
It linked smoking marijuana to severe gum disease or ‘periodontitis’
Periodontitis affects tissues that support teeth and hold them in place
Previous research has linked cannabis use to bronchitis and cancer

Regular cannabis use can make teeth fall out by their thirties, a new study has found.

Smoking marijuana for up to 20 years was found to cause gum disease – the leading cause of tooth loss.

The study of more than 1,000 people found using the illegal drug for as long as 20 years was linked with the condition.

Known medically as periodontal disease, it is a common condition where gums become sore and swollen.

It affects the tissues surrounding the teeth which hold them in place, and can eventually cause them to fall out.

Gum disease traditionally happens in middle age and is most often caused by a build up of plaque and poor dental hygiene.

However, researchers found cannabis use increased the likelihood of it happening by early middle-age.

Dr Madeline Meier, of Arizona State University, and colleagues looked at cannabis use data from 1,037 people born in New Zealand in 1972 and 1973 and followed them to the age of 38.

WHAT IS PERIODONTITIS?

Gum disease is a very common condition where the gums become swollen, sore or infected.

Most adults have gum disease to some degree and most people experience it at least once. It’s much less common in children.

Symptoms include bleeding gums when brushing the teeth and can lead to bad breath.

This early stage of gum disease is known as gingivitis.

If gingivitis isn’t treated, a condition called periodontitis can develop.

This affects more tissues that support teeth and hold them in place.

If periodontitis isn’t treated, the bone in the jaw may be damaged and small spaces can open up between the gum and teeth.

Teeth can become loose and may eventually fall out.

Source: NHS Choices

They used self-reported and laboratory tests to look at gum health as well as lung function, systemic inflammation and metabolic health.

More than half of the 1,037 participants were men with 484 having used tobacco daily and 675 cannabis.

While cannabis was associated with poorer gums, the researchers found it was not linked to other health complaints.

But the study authors noted its association with accidents and injuries, bronchitis, acute cardiovascular events, and, possibly, infectious diseases and cancer, from previous studies.

Other research has suggested cannabis users brushed and flossed less and were also more likely to be dependent on alcohol.

Policymakers in America, where the drug is legal in some states, commissioned the study to look into whether recreational cannabis use was associated with physical problems later in life.

‘This study has a number of implications,’ said Dr Meier.

‘First, cannabis use for up to 20 years is not associated with a specific set of physical health problems in early midlife.

‘The sole exception is that cannabis use is associated with periodontal disease.

‘Second, cannabis use for up to 20 years is not associated with net metabolic benefits (i.e., lower rates of metabolic syndrome).

‘Third, our results should be interpreted in the context of prior research showing cannabis use is associated with accidents and injuries, bronchitis, acute cardiovascular events, and, possibly, infectious diseases and cancer, as well as poor psycho-social and mental health outcomes.’

Previous research has shown smoking cannabis regularly can even lead to gum disease in people in their early thirties.

A quarter of people who had smoked cannabis regularly from 18 to 32 years old had established gum disease.

Smoking tobacco also significantly raises the risk of gum disease in young people.

It’s a condition in which the gums, deeper supporting tissue and even the bone surrounding teeth become infected which starts with a build-up of plaque on the teeth.

The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

IMAGE:

Smoking cannabis regularly for up to 20 years was linked to higher levels of gum disease which can lead to teeth falling out, researchers from Arizona found

Gum disease traditionally happens in middle age and is most often caused by a build up of plaque and poor dental hygiene but is also linked to smoking both cannabis and cigarettes

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3619989/Smoking-weed-make-teeth-fall-Long-term-marijuana-use-linked-gum-disease.html#ixzz4ApUu3SCY