BDA welcomes plain cigarette packs action
The news that action is being taken on fast-tracking legislation over the plain packaging of cigarettes has been welcomed by the British Dental Association (BDA).
As a member of the Smokefree Action Coalition and a supporter of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the BDA has been campaigning for the move to make packaging on cigarettes plain.
Professor Damien Walmsley, the BDA’s scientific advisers, states that this is ‘great news for the future of Britain’s oral health’. The impact of tobacco marketing is something dentists see every day, with the use of it still a key cause in cases of gum disease and oral cancer.
Each year, such illnesses cost the taxpayer millions, and Walmsley notes that this can often be prevented. ‘Distinctive packaging’ is one of the tobacco industry’s ‘top promotional tools’, he continues, and there was never a need for delaying plans to combat this.
Where plain packaging is already in effect, the differences are clear. Evidence from Australia has shown that smoking is becoming less attractive with plain packs, as it ‘takes the sheen off tobacco’, an essential first step in breaking the habit of smoking. There has been a 15% fall in smoking rates in the period between introducing a standardised packaging, and a 12.5% increase in tobacco duty. It is hoped that in turn, the next generation will be prevented from taking up smoking.
The risk of oral cancer is three times higher in smokers than in those who have never smoked, while the risk of periodontal disease can be up to 20 times higher according to ASH. Other oral diseases that smokers can face include bone and tooth loss, infections, and the discolouration of teeth and oral tissues.
The BDA strongly supports the move to standardise cigarette packaging as part of an attempt to cut down the numbers of people smoking, along with other measures to support the move.
