The smokeless tobacco: a survey in a cohort of young Italians through a social-media questionnaire

This observational survey aimed to demonstrate the use of the Snus kind of smokeless tobacco, among young Italian adults from alpine areas. A customized anonymous questionnaire was purposely created using the Google Forms platform and made it available for 4 weeks through social media supports to a cohort of young adults living in a mountain area in Italy. Out of four hundred recipients, 332 interviewees returned the survey. Participants had a mean age of 22.8, range 17-40 years. One hundred fifty regular consumers used Snus for more than 5 years. Gingival changes were reported in 92 subjects, associated with gingival bleeding in 14 subjects. 79 subjects reported discoloration of the mucosa. The 50% of the habitual users developed an addiction to Snus and 90% didn't smoke conventional cigarettes. In Italian young adults the use of Snus tobacco could be an adjunctive risk factor for the oral mucosa. It is essential to extend and spread the awareness about this addictive habit among dental professionals, to give to the patients a reliable and effective oral and systemic education.