A new study conducted in the country revealed that burning incense is linked to changes in the formation of oral microbes, which may harm the health of the mouth, by increasing the risk of infections and systemic diseases, pointing out that burning incense contributes to pollute the air and increase the risk of heart disease Vapor from burning incense contains high levels of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide.
"This study is an important first step in understanding how incense affects human health and how it contributes to chronic diseases common to UAE nationals. We will continue to study more UAE residents over the coming years," said the director of the Public Health Research Center. .
The study confirmed that incense burning is one of the old practices used as part of religious rituals or for the purposes of perfuming houses and public places, where statistics showed the prevalence of incense use among at least 90% of Emirati families for perfuming houses and clothes 90% of UAE society is exposed to oral diseases.
"For the first time ever, we have shown the connection between the use of incense and changes in the composition of microorganisms in the mouth," said Yvonne Valles, lead researcher and genetics professor at the University of West India in Barbados. "At the initial analysis stage, we have a very important result with many potential health effects."
“We hope that the results of the study will help to conclude that exposure to incense smoke is linked to the changes we have monitored. There is a low level of public awareness of this issue and a lack of policies to regulate the use of incense, especially in public places.”
The study included determining the composition of oral microbes in more than 300 UAE adults by using a specific gene found in all bacteria extracted from mouthwash samples used in the study.
The survey accompanying the study showed that 6.6% of UAE households never use incense, 24.1% tend to use it occasionally, 33.7% use it frequently, and 35.6% use it daily.
The results of the study revealed a significant increase in the diversity of oral microbes in incense users on a daily basis compared to those who do not use it at all.
By comparing incense users with non-users, the study found that incense burning was associated with changes in the diversity, structure and composition of oral microbes, even when the user was exposed to a small proportion of incense, as is the case for those who use it from time to time, indicating that exposure Few incense can have harmful effects on health as well.
This result is important, especially given the large role of microbes in the mouth in maintaining internal stability, which is the body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment regardless of external circumstances, and imbalance of those microbes may lead to health damage Extreme.