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ObjectivesTo assess the risk of becoming a smoker in adulthood associated with parental smoking as well as the smoking of siblings and close friends.DesignA cross-sectional study.Setting4 oral healthcare centres in Finland and a follow-up.ParticipantsAn age cohort born in 1979 (n=2586) and living in four Finnish towns. Of those reached by the 2008 follow-up, 46.9% (n=1020) responded.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSmoking behaviour at the age of 29. Smoking behaviour at the age of 13 and smoking behaviour of family members and close friends.ResultsSmoking of a current close friend was strongly associated with participants’ own smoking (OR 5.6, 95% CI 3.6 to 8.8). The smoking of a close friend during schooldays was similarly associated (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.8 to 4.5). Smoking among men was associated with the smoking behaviour of mothers and siblings while that among females was not.ConclusionsThe impact of a smoker as a close friend is greater than that of a smoking parent or sibling in school age when it comes to smoking behaviour in adulthood. This should be taken into consideration when attempting to prevent smoking initiation or continuation.Trial registrationAt clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01348646).

– In order to find out if it is possible to prevent caries and gingivitis by periodical use of chlorhexidine‐fluoride mouthrinses with or without strontium, and to find out what effects they have on salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli counts, a total of 243 schoolchildren aged 11 yr with high DMFS scores were randomly divided into four groups. One group (C) served as a basic control. Subjects in the second group (GXF) rinsed their mouths twice a day every third week with a rinsing solution containing 0.05% chlorhexidine gluconate and 0.04% NaF. In the third group (CXFS) the rinsing solution contained 500 ppm Sr during the first and second year and 15 ppm during the last 6 months, in addition to chlorhexidine and fluoride. In the fourth group (CX) the solution contained only 0.05% chlorhexidine gluconate. All the rinsing solutions had pH 5.8 buffered with succinic acid‐NaOH buffer. After 2 yr and 9 months, the mean DMFS (SD) increments in the C, GXF, GXFS, and GX groups were 3.8 (5.7), 2.5 (3.2), 3.5 (4.8), and 3.4 (5.5), respectively. The percentage of subjects with bleeding gingival units had decreased from initial to final values as follows: C, 81–38; GXF, 88–42; GXFS, 89–56; GX, 89–37. The number of lactobacilli and mutans streptococci in saliva remained virtually unchanged throughout the study. For caries increment and gingival bleeding, the differences between groups were not statistically significant. The chlorhexidine‐fluoride combination tended to prevent caries, but the effect on gingival bleeding and salivary counts of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli was negligible.

Background. To study whether weaker self-esteem in adolescence is connected with smoking behavior in adulthood. Methods. An age cohort born in 1979 responded to the Lawrence Self-Esteem Questionnaire (LAWSEQ) at the age of 16 (n = 1,072). Respondents' smoking behavior was monitored annually during adolescence and 75.3% (n = 813) of them remained nonsmokers during adolescence. A follow-up questionnaire eliciting smoking behavior was sent to the adolescent nonsmokers at the age of 29 years. Response rate at follow-up was 46.2% (n = 376). Results. Weaker self-esteem (LAWSEQ score ≥ 3) during the adolescence was not significantly associated with smoking in adulthood. However, those respondents who had weaker self-esteem in adolescence had increased risk of having been smoking regularly (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.0) although not all of them were smokers at the time of the follow-up. Conclusions. Those with weaker self-esteem in adolescence are more likely to smoke regularly in adulthood.