DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2017.v05i10.001

Pages: 602-605

Smokeless tobacco (ST) is tobacco that is not burned. It is also known as chewing tobacco, spit or spitting tobacco, dip, chew, and snuff. It is usually placed in the oral or nasal cavities against the mucosal sites that permit the absorption of nicotine into the human body. While the use of ST has oral consequences and may also be found to affect other parts of the body, such as the cardiovascular system, the most serious consequence is oral cancer. The most harmful cancer-causing substances in ST are tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). The aim of this work is to present a rare clinical case of a female patient monitored at the department of oral surgery for mandibular gingival carcinoma caused by ST. In this context, we emphasize the importance of early diagnosis of such lesions and the need of counselling patients on the harmful effects of ST and to encourage them to quit smoking.