As if there aren't enough good reasons not to smoke or to stop smoking....here' another one that kind of comes as a surprise.

The Academy of General Dentistry has just released a report that says if you want your children to have healthy, normally developed teeth, quit smoking around them. Children exposed to tobacco smoke may have delays in the formation of their permanent teeth by an average of four months, according to the report. That means that the normal age when a child's permanent teeth erupt between the ages of three and six could be pushed back for months. The most significant delays in dental development were observed when both parents smoked, and the least delays occurred when only the mother smoked, according to the Chicago-based academy. Surprisingly, children exposed to smoke only from their fathers showed a high incidence of tooth formation delays, possibly demonstrating that "second hand" smoke can be much more damaging than direct exposure just from a smoking mother. "This is another strong example of how smoking stunts human growth and development," said Paul Bussman, DMD, a spokesman for the academy, who adds that smoking during pregnancy can also cause birth defects and other serious health problems. "If the father must smoke, he should do so in a well-ventilated, separate area from the mother and child. Both parents especially the mother should never smoke during pregnancy." This academy is a non-profit organization of more than 37,000 general dentists across the country. Hopefully this latest finding, in addition to the years of warnings about the increased risks of cancer, lung and heart disease, will be enough to convince Washington Parish smokers to quit, especially those with children.

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