Average and Heterogeneous Associations between Secondhand Smoking and Tooth Loss

The study examined how secondhand smoke exposure relates to tooth loss in US adults using statistical methods designed to reduce bias. Researchers found that secondhand smoke exposure was associated with fewer teeth and a higher likelihood of having fewer than 20 teeth, with greater impacts observed among older adults, those with lower socioeconomic status, and those with certain health conditions.

A plain-English summary of the study's own findings — we don't add our own claims or interpretation. Read the full paper for the complete methods and results, and apply your own clinical judgement.