Table 1

Details of European studies considered.
First author, year of publication
 Location
 Study Perioda
 Sex
 Age
 Population
 Further details of study design
 Endpointsb
Experimental studies
Larsson 1991 [1]
 Sweden (Malmö)
 3 to 6 months
 M
 21 to 70 Mean 36
 29 snuff users with degree 2 to 4 mucosal lesions selected from Andersson 1989 [18]
 Subjects advised to stop or change their habit
 ML
Andersson 1995 [2]
 Sweden (Malmö)
 12 weeks
 Not given
 Mean 37
 24 users of snuff brand A, 18 users of low-nicotine snuff brand B
 Subjects observed for 2 weeks, then brand A users switched to brand B for 10 weeksc
 ML
Andersson 2003 [3]
 Sweden (Malmö)
 24 weeks
 Not given
 Mean 34
 20 users of snuff brand A with degree 3 or 4 lesions
 Subjects switched to brand B with lower pH for 12 weeks, then to brand C with same pH as brand B but lower nicotined
 ML
Prospective studies
Roosaar 2006 [4]
 Sweden (Uppsala county)
 1973–1974 to 2002
 M
 15+
 1115 men with "snus-induced lesions" in 1973–1974 followed up
 Selected from 7890 men examined
 ML
Case-control studies
Rosenquist 2005 [5]
 Sweden (South)
 2001 to 2004
 M+F
 33 to 87
 132 cases of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas, 320 population controls
 Cases and controls matched on age ± 3 years, sex and county
 ML
Cross-sectional studies of populations unselected by ST use
Tyldesley 1971 [50]
 England (Lancashire)
 Not given
 M
 Not given
 402 coal miners
 -
 ML
Modéer 1980 [6]
 Sweden (Stockholm)
 Not given
 M+F
 13 to 14 Mean 13.5
 232 school children
 -
 PD
Jungell 1985 [7]
 Finland (Tammisaari)
 Not given
 M
 17 to 29
 441 military recruits
 -
 ML
Salonen 1990 [8]
 Sweden (Älvsborg county)
 1983 To 1984
 Me
 20+
 477 randomly selected male adults
 -
 ML
Hirsch 1991 [9]
 Sweden (Gothenburg)
 Not given
 M+F
 14 to 19 Mean 16.8
 2145 teenagers attending for dental check-up
 -
 DC
Wickholm 2004 [10]
 Sweden (National)
 1985
 M+F
 31 to 40
 1674 adults born on 20th of month
 -
 PD
Bergström 2006 [11]
 Sweden (National)
 2002 to 2003
 M
 26 to 54
 84 submariners
 -
 PD, DC
Montén 2006 [12]
 Sweden (Göteborg)
 Not given
 M
 19
 103 never smokers
 Subsample from larger epidemiological study
 PD
Cross-sectional studies of populations selected by ST use and/or presence of oral lesions
Pindborg 1963 [13]
 Denmark (Copenhagen)
 Not given
 M
 39 to 83
 12 long-term snuff users
 SIL probable inclusion criterion
 ML
Roed-Petersen 1973 [14]
 Denmark (Copenhagen)
 1956 to 1970
 M+F
 < 20 to 90+ Mean 55
 450 oral leukoplakia patients
 -
 ML, OP
Axéll 1976 [15]
 Sweden (Not given)
 Not given
 M
 20 to 88 Mean 50
 114 snuff users with oral lesions
 -
 ML
Hirsch 1982 [16]
 Sweden (Gothenburg)
 Not given
 M
 15 to 84 Mean 41
 50 habitual snuff users
 SIL probable inclusion criterion
 ML
Frithiof 1983 [17]
 Sweden (Stockholm)
 Not given
 M
 31 to 79 Mean 55
 21 long-term snuff users referred to dental school for oral lesions
 -
 ML, PD
Andersson 1989 [18]
 Sweden (Malmö)
 1986 to 1987
 M
 17 to 80 Mean 36
 252 snuff users; construction and shipyard workers and outpatients
 -
 ML, PD
Andersson 1994 [19]
 Sweden (Malmö)
 Not given
 M
 21 to 75 Mean 42
 45 habitual snuff users and 9 users of CT selected from Andersson 1989 [18]
 Loose and portion-bag users matched on consumption and usage
 ML
Rolandsson 2005 [20]
 Sweden (Värmland)
 Not given
 M
 16 to 25 Mean 21
 80 ice hockey players, of which 40 were snuff users and 40 non users
 Snuff users and non users age matched
 ML, PD, DC

a Length of follow-up period for experimental studies, period of follow-up for prospective studies, and time study conducted otherwise

b DC = dental caries, ML = mucosal lesion, OP = oral pain, PD = periodontal or gingival diseases

c Brand A 0.8–0.9% nicotine, 8.2–8.5 pH; Brand B 0.4–0.5% nicotine, 7.8–8.2 pH

d Brand A 0.8% nicotine, 8.6 pH; Brand B 0.8% nicotine, 8.0 pH; Brand C 0.4–0.5% nicotine, 8.0 pH

e Women were also studied but none used snuff

Kallischnigg et al. BMC Oral Health 2008 8:13   doi:10.1186/1472-6831-8-13