Smoking and disease

Tobacco represents the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the world today. The countries of Central Europe bear a disproportionate burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. For example, some of the highest rates worldwide of cigarette consumption and smoking prevalence are in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. This chapter first describes the extent of tobacco use in five central European countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia and then considers mortality from tobacco related disease. Data from two diseases, lung cancer and oral cancer, which result almost exclusively from tobacco use are considered. Finally, the relationship between tobacco use and oral disease is discussed.