Impact of gutkha chewing & smoking on microbial environment of oral cavity: a case study on slum dwellers of selected areas in Visakhapatnam.

Oral diseases are still a neglected epidemic. During the recent years, in India, both in urban and rual, consumption of tobacco in the form of direct chewing of gutkha is alarmingly increasing especially in the young adults as which is major reason for subsistence of oral cancer. In the present investigation an attempt was made to find out the relationship between gutkha chewing including smoking and oral micro flora in some slum dwellers of Visakhapatnam. The subjects were randomly selected and their health data was collected by distributing questionnaire to control and effected subjects. The oral saliva samples were collected from both gutkha chewers, smokers and from control groups by using saline swabs and inoculated on suitable nutrient media. The results revealed that decrease in salivation and mucous formation in gutkha chewers, which further resulted in reduction in number of oral micro flora. Aspergillus species appeared only in gutkha chewers and smokers. Gutkha chewing and smoking thus, may lead to an increase in the oral pathogens by reducing the normal symbiotic microbial flora.