Abstract
Khat chewing is on the rise and has emerged as a public health issue. The longtime consumption of khat has been associated with many health issues such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, genitourinary, nervous system, respiratory, and oral health (OH)-related problems. Among the OH-related problems, tooth decay, periodontal diseases, and oral cancer are the most prevalent and have been linked with khat use. This chapter introduces OH, followed by a description of khat and its epidemiology. Then, a review of the evidence relating khat use to oral diseases is presented. It is seen, based on the available reports, that khat use cannot be considered as a causal factor for oral diseases. However, it is possible that cathinone, a prime extract in khat, may cause xerostomia which can aggravate the infection process in an already infected tooth or supporting tissues. Furthermore, with the available literature, the direct relationship between khat alone and oral cancer is also questionable. In few studies, khat seems to be an anticancer agent, but few other studies point to the chances of carcinogenesis associated with a longtime chewing of khat. In conclusion, the effect of khat on oral tissues is not as direct as in case of many other coadministered stuff like sugar or sugared beverages, alcohol, tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco, and the presence of pesticides.
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Abbreviations
- FDI:
-
Dental Federation Internationale
- GBD:
-
Global Burden of Disease
- OH:
-
Oral health
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
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Ali Quadri, M.F., Mohan, S. (2022). Khat (Catha edulis) and Oral Health. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92392-1_90
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