The team at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine found smokers have fewer defence mechanisms on the inside of their teeth.
'That might explain why smokers have poorer endodontic outcomes and delayed healing than non-smokers,' said Anita Aminoshariae, associate professor of endodontics and director of predoctoral endodontics.
'Imagine TNF-α and hBD-2 are among the soldiers in a last line of defense fortifying a castle. Smoking kills these soldiers before they even have a chance at mounting a solid defence.'
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Endodontics.
Aminoshariae said that, previously, there was little research into the endodontic effects of smoking – the inside of teeth.
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