Spit tobacco: not a safe alternative

Contrary to popular belief spread by misleading advertisements, spit tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. An abundance of evidence indicates that these products are not only dangerous to health, but often lethal. In Michigan, a statewide educational campaign is now underway to alert the public to the facts about spit tobacco. The National Institute of Health recommends that dentists ask all patients, beginning at age 5, about their tobacco use. The use of nationally known celebrities seems a critically important ingredient in this anti-tobacco campaign, in order to offset the glamorous advertisements from the tobacco industry. Ultimately, however, it is steady, sure, ever-serious reminders by health professionals of the dangers of spit tobacco that will carry the most weight. Above all, it is the dentist who has this opportunity and this responsibility.