CDC Report Says Fewer Smokers Get Dental Checkups

ATLANTA (AP) - A new government report finds that smokers have more problems with their teeth than non-smokers and they don't go to the dentist as often.

The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent is based on survey responses from more than 16,000 adults.

More than a third of smokers said they had three or more dental problems, ranging from stained teeth to jaw pain, toothaches or infected gums. That's more than twice the number of those who never smoked.

And twice as many smokers said they hadn't been to the dentist in at least five years. Half of them said they couldn't afford to go.

The CDC released the report Tuesday.