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Tobacco is the most popular overused substance in the world. There are two types of tobacco products: smoke and smokeless ones. The aim of this article is to explain the impact of tobacco on mucosa and describe the most common diseases of oral cavity among the tobacco users. The nicotine, the main component of tobacco, stimulates the central nervous system, addicting firmly and fast. The nicotine influences on metabolism of proteins and nucleic acids and disorders functioning of defense-andrepair system. The tobacco smoke provides also physical damages because increases temperature inside the mouth and burns tissues. In the clinical examination tobacco users have: hyperpigmentosis, black hairy tongue, superficial glossitis, periodontitis, leucoedema, nicotinic stomatitis, leukoplakia or neoplasm. Patients often claim on halitosis, bad taste or xerostomia. Dentistry provides a huge role on prevention, early detection of lesions and finally motivation for quitting smoking habits.

We describe the case of a 61-year-old male patient, in which the search for the cause of chronic respiratory failure, severe pulmonary hypertension and secondary erythrocytosis resulted in a diagnosis of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE). This is a unique, recently characterised syndrome with upper-lobe emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis of the lower lungs. The cause is unknown, but one of the main risk factor remains smoking. The patient was a heavy smoker (over 40 pack-years). He complained of dyspnoea on exertion and cough. Physical examination revealed basal crackles and cyanosis. The patient had severe reduction in diffusing capacity, out of proportion to his lung volumes (DLCO 27% of predicted value, FEV1 2.95 l (100%), FVC 4.41 l (118%), FEV1/FVC (66%). The blood gas showed hypoxemia (pO2 37 mm Hg), hypocapnia and respiratory alkalosis. Diagnosis was based on chest computer tomography, which revealed upper lobe emphysema and lower lobe ground glass changes and honeycombing. Severe pulmonary hypertension (SPAP 80 mm Hg) was confirmed by echocardiography and right cardiac catherisation. The patient received long-term oxygen therapy, inhaled corticosteroid and Ca-blocker.

Tobacco addiction is a serious health and economic problem concerning the whole globe. High-school teenagers are a group of society whose habits, knowledge about harmfulness of smoking tobacco have an influence on future development. The aim of the thesis was to define the problem of high-school teenagers' addiction to nicotine. The research was conducted among 341 young people from different high schools. The research group consisted of students: High School no. 11 and, Artistic High School in Poznan, High School in Klodawa and two schools in Norway, Askim Ungdomskole--teenager school and Videregaende Skole in Askim--high school. The representative sample group numbered: 287 in Poland and 54 persons in Norway. Smoking cigarettes and addiction to nicotine is considered to be a medical problem, which is related to the occurrence of many diseases, as well as a social problem which regards the biggest part of youths.

Tobacco harmful influence on men's health is usually linked with smoking cigarettes. Alternative ways of intake tobacco are also dangerous. Nicotine and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines with carcinogenic activity are not only present in tobacco smoke but also of nicotine-rich product for chewing. There are some internet sources about Turkish (Aztec) tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) as easy available material for home-made tobacco mixtures. A some reports about dangerous effects connected with chewing tobacco and similar to smoking-related disorders are present in current literature.

In the study, an attempt was made to demonstrate whether cigarettes-contained nickel may exert deleterious effects in anybody or only in defined groups of individuals and what is the theoretical ground of the nickel unfavourable action. Do those negative results stem from augmented level of nickel in the environment and its transfer to human vicinity or do they reflect personal traits of affected people, who share certain predisposition which may lead to morbid sings/symptoms when such persons smoke or are exposed to environment of smokers.

The author discusses instruction on the harmfulness of smoking tobacco in the Polish educational system. This concerns primarily two subjects, Nature and Biology, in which this issue appears. In this context, he examined the content of their syllabi, manuals, and teacher's guides. He presents the most common didactic solutions employed, and comes to the conclusion that this field lacks original studies and novel proposals. On his part, he puts forward some suggestions concerning the kind and scope of measures that can be taken at various educational levels. He also stresses the need for parallel and continuous social and administrative action.

The incidence of laryngeal cancer is strongly connected with exposure to tobacco smoke containing at least 40 genotoxic carcinogens. DNA lesions induced by tobacco smoke carcinogens can be turned into stable mutations. Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes are first of all responsible for initiation of carcinogenesis. The same time cells provide such self-protection processes as: carcinogen detoxication, DNA repair and apoptosis. The initiation of carcinogenesis followed by oncogenesis results from the competition between DNA lesions/mutations formation and the protection processes; the latter are genetically controlled.

Unlabelled: Tobacco dust contains various immunologically active as well as toxic substances. However the relationship between allergic reactivity or lung function with chronic exposure to tobacco dust remains unclear. Accordingly the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between occupational chronic exposition to tobacco dust, respiratory function and some allergic reaction parameters., Methods: 40 tobacco factory workers (47.5% women and 52.5% men) aged 25-59 years (mean 36.5) chronically (5-31 years, mean 12.6) exposed to tobacco dust were included into the study. Control group consisted of 30 subjects (46.7% women, 53.3% men) aged 25-60 years (mean 36.6) not exposed to tobacco leaves' dust. Detailed epidemiological data was collected. Additionally total IgE, specific (tobacco) IgE, eosinophil blood counts, skin tests (mixed grass and weed pollens, house dust, feather, tobacco extracts), basophil degranulation and neutrophil destruction tests with tobacco extracts as well as spirometry were studied in these groups. We found that FEV1/VC was significantly lower in tobacco industry workers chronically exposed to tobacco dust than in the control group (91.5 +/- 11.6% vs. 101.7 +/- 10.7% n; p = 0.0004). These subjects were also characterized by higher occurrence of mild bronchial obturation (FEV1/VC < 88% and FEV1 > 70%) which was present in 30% tobacco factory workers and in 6.7% of control group (p = 0.035). Levels of total IgE and tobacco-specific IgE, eosinophil counts, skin test reactivity, basophil degranulation and neutrophil destruction tests were not different between groups., Conclusions: Occupational chronic exposition to the dust of tobacco leaves is associated with significant increase in the occurrence of mild obturative ventilatory disturbances. Simultaneously no increased frequency of allergization to tobacco or other allergens was observed in tobacco industry workers.