SALIVARY PH, MICROSCOPY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE AND OXYGEN SATURATION AMONG YOUNG SHISHA SMOKERS IN NASSARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT KANO STATE

ABSTRACT Shisha smoking is a way of smoking tobacco through a bowl with hose or tube joined on. Nicotine was noted as the main chemical constituent in the shisha others include: tar, CO, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, radioactive substances, etc. Shisha smoking is one of the main causes of oral cancer and some of the risk factor is the changes in salivary ph. However, there is paucity data on salivary ph and microscopy assessment and only few research were conducted in this area of study. This comparative study aimed to compare the effect of shisha smoking on salivary ph and microscopy, peak expiratory flow rate and oxygen saturation of shisha smokers and non-shisha smokers in Nassarawa L. G.A.Kano state. The salivary ph and microscopy, peak expiratory flow rate and oxygen saturation of 35 shisha smokers were measuredand compared the result with 20 of non-shisha smokers, age group ofthe study population were between 15-30 years. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 and excel 2013, All quantitative variables were summarized using mean and standard deviation. All qualitative variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages. Independent t-test and chi-square were used to analyzed quantitative and qualitative data respectively. P-value of < 0.05 (2-tailed) were considered significant. The anthropometrics measured parameters were also recorded, means were compared using independent sample t-test, values were considered statistically significant al p-value