BackgroundWaterpipe tobacco smoking is increasing in popularity especially among young adults. This spread could be related to limited knowledge of the negative health effects of waterpipe smoking. In this study, prevalence, social acceptance, and awareness of waterpipe smoking were examined among dental university students.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional survey study, where a self-administered questionnaire was completed by a sample of dental university students in Jordan.ResultsStudents (n = 547) reported current tobacco use of 54.3% for males versus 11.1% for females (P <0.005). Among current smokers, 3.5% used only cigarettes (22.0% males, 2.3% females), 12.6% used only waterpipe (36.6% males, 88.6% females), and 6.9% used both (41.5% males, 9.1% females). Approximately, 70% of males and 42.5% of females who used waterpipe reported smoking mostly at a café. Nearly half of the females reported that they smoke at home in the presence of parents. Among participants, 33.3% of males and 62.5% of females reported indifferent parents’ reaction regarding their waterpipe smoking. Approximately one third of students agreed with the statement that waterpipe smoking is less harmful to oral health than cigarette smoking. About 50-70% of students agreed that waterpipe smoking causes halitosis, delays wound healing time, is associated with dental implant failure, and increases the risk of dental decay.ConclusionsIn this sample, waterpipe tobacco smoking was more common than cigarette smoking among dental students, especially females. This could be an implication of social acceptance of waterpipe leading to its predominance, and thus, the gradual replacement of cigarette smoking with waterpipe smoking. Additionally, dental students’ awareness about the harms of waterpipe is not optimal, and steps are needed to ensure providing such knowledge to students.

Aim of the study. The world sees a rising consumption of waterpipe. The present systematic review aims to assess clinical and radiographic manifestations of oral illnesses, dental, periodontal, or soft tissue disorders related to waterpipe use.Methods. The authors searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and LILACS for oral health manifestations due to waterpipe consumption. PRISMA guidelines were adopted for the current systematic review. Meta-analysis performed with Review Manager 5.4 assessing risk of bias across included studies.Results. Nine studies assessing oral impact of waterpipe were included. Majority of articles are from a Middle Eastern population where the waterpipe use is more common than other parts of the world. Studies have assessed some oral health issues such as gingival inflammation, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment, probing pocket depth, bone height and tooth mobility.