Bakdash Abdulsallam
Department of Forensic Chemistry, College of Forensic Sciences, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Riyadh-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email:
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2017 May 1;18(5):1183-1190. doi: 10.22034/APJCP.2017.18.5.1183.
Shammah is a preparation of smokeless tobacco (ST) that is frequently used in the Arabian Peninsula, especially in Saudi Arabia. A mixture of powdered tobacco, lime, ash, black pepper, oils and flavorings, shammah in is placed in the buccal cavity or lower labial vestibule of the mouth. The user (or dipper) spits out insoluble debris. ST is linked to a number of harmful effects such as dental disease, oral cancer, oesophagus cancer, and pancreas cancer. It also causes adverse reproductive effects including stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. The importation of ST products is prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Legislative action to combat the use of ST (moist snuff and chewing tobacco) in Saudi Arabia appeared in 1990. The actual percentage use may be higher than reported since shammah is illegal in Saudi Arabia and there may be some unwillingness to admit to its use. Data on ST use in the Arabian Peninsula are sparse. Most studies conducted there focused on the prevalence of shammah use among adolescents rather than among adults. This review paper aimed to understand the pattern of use of shammah and its adverse health effects. It also aimed to provide suitable epidemiological data for public health policy makers.
沙马是一种无烟烟草制品，在阿拉伯半岛尤其是沙特阿拉伯经常被使用。它是由烟草粉末、石灰、灰烬、黑胡椒、油类和调味剂混合而成，放置在口腔的颊腔或下唇前庭。使用者（或蘸吸者）会吐出不溶性残渣。无烟烟草与许多有害影响有关，如牙科疾病、口腔癌、食道癌和胰腺癌。它还会导致不良生殖影响，包括死产、早产和低出生体重。沙特阿拉伯禁止进口无烟烟草制品。沙特阿拉伯在1990年出台了打击使用无烟烟草（湿鼻烟和嚼烟）的立法行动。实际使用比例可能高于报告的比例，因为沙马在沙特阿拉伯是非法的，可能存在一些不愿承认使用它的情况。阿拉伯半岛关于无烟烟草使用的数据很少。在那里进行的大多数研究都集中在青少年而非成年人中沙马的使用流行率上。这篇综述文章旨在了解沙马的使用模式及其对健康的不良影响。它还旨在为公共卫生政策制定者提供合适的流行病学数据。
