Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

  Background: Smoking hookah is recognized as a growing health problem in Iran and many countries in the world and its harmful outcomes on human health have attracted attention of medical community. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting on hookah smoking in male students who are living in dormitories of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011.

  Methods : This study was a descriptive analytical. The questionnaire was developed and its validity and reliability was assessed. Then, 162 male students living in dormitories at Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected in multi-stage sampling and questionnaires were filled out by them. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and the Chi-Square and Independent sample T- tests.

  Results : The results showed that 29% of subjects had history of smoking hookah. The main factors affecting the use of hookah from subjects point of view, were filling leisure time, cost-effectiveness, anxiety reduction, refreshment and easy access to the hookah.

  Conclusion : Designing multi-dimensional activities for filling leisure time of college students who living in dormitories (such as promote sports activities), teaching of problem-solving methods for reducing anxiety and fatigue and learning skills to say ”NO” against request of friends for smoking hookah, can lead to reduced smoking hookah in this group.

Background: Oral mucosa of cigarette and hookah users is more susceptible for malignant changes, so the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of cigarette and hookah on morphometry features of oral mucosa.

Methods: In this Historical Cohort study, Cytological smears prepared from three regions of oral mucosa (Buccal mucosa, lateral border of tongue and floor of the mouth) in 40 smokers, 40 hookah users , 40 non-smoker and non-hooka users were stained by Papanicolaou method. A quantitative and qualitative change in cytology smears was evaluated in each slide. Quantitative evaluation of 50 cells per slide was performed with Motic Plus2 software. Practitioners were matched with age and sex.

Results: Increased nuclear size, nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio, Ferret ratio, reduced size of cytoplasm was observed in cigarette users, hookah users, non-smokers and non hookah users respectively (p<0.001). No Significant difference in karyorrhexis, multilobed nuclei and cytoplasmic vacuolization in buccal mucosa,tongue and floor of the mouth of cigarrete, hookan users(p=0.8) and non smoker-non hookan users was seen. (p3=0.9) but inflammation(p< 0/001) and candidiasis (p=0/002)were more in smokersand hookah users than non smoker and non hookah users respectively.

Conclusions: Cigarette and hookah are effective in cyto-morphometric changes of oral mucosa, but in this area, The effect of cigarette is more than hookah.