Smoking is bad for a person's teeth and bones, scientists find out

In a new study reported in the journal Science, scientists examined the effects of nicotine on human health from the remains of smokers who died in England between 1700 and 1855.

The scientists began by looking for chemical changes that occur in bones as tobacco is broken down or metabolized. This is usually done by analyzing blood, urine or saliva samples from living people. But in the long-dead, experts decided to look for similar traces in the bones.

First, they studied the remains of people who lived before the 1500s in England, when tobacco had not yet been brought into the country. A liquid chromatography method was used. The results were then compared with bone analyses of smokers from the 1700s. The indentations in the teeth left by clay tobacco pipes helped identify the smokers. Dozens of chemical compounds characteristic of smokers were identified.

A curious thing was found - a fairly high percentage of women smokers, and in all social groups. But aristocratic women did not suffer from dental problems because they could afford pipes made of gentle materials that did not harm their teeth.

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