Also called: Chewing tobacco · Dip · Oral tobacco · Snuff · Spit tobacco
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Smokeless Tobacco
Many people who chew tobacco or dip snuff think it's safer than smoking. But you don't have to smoke tobacco for it to be dangerous. Chewing or dipping carries risks like:
- Cancer of the mouth
- Decay of exposed tooth roots
- Pulling away of the gums from the teeth
- White patches or red sores in the mouth that can turn to cancer
Recent research shows the dangers of smokeless tobacco may go beyond the mouth. It might also play a role in other cancers, heart disease and stroke.
Smokeless tobacco contains more nicotine than cigarettes. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that makes it hard to stop using tobacco once you start. Having a quit date and a quitting plan can help you stop successfully.
It sits within Substance Use and Disorders and Mouth and Teeth.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Smokeless Tobacco
88 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Feasibility of a Medical-Legal Partnership Model to Connect Coal Miners QuitAidUniversity of Virginia
- Testing ANSOS for Efficacy in Multi-Tribal Urban CommunitiesLehigh University
- Influence of Authorized Smokeless Tobacco Product Modified Risk Claims I: Consumer Product DemandRoswell Park Cancer Institute
- Influence of Authorized Smokeless Tobacco Product Modified Risk Claims II: Laboratory Assessment of Sensory and Subjective EffectsRoswell Park Cancer Institute
- The Efficacy of Conventional Screening Versus mHealth Screening in Early Detection of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Cancer Amongst the Rural Population of Varanasi: A Prospective and Blinded StudyMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- A Web-Based Text Messaging for Tobacco Cessation in Rural MississippiUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center
Research already completed
- Effects of FDA Authorized Smokeless Tobacco Claims Among US Adults Who Smoke CigarettesRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- A Text-based Reduction Intervention for Smokeless Tobacco Cessation- Pilot StudyDuke University
- Nicotine Pharmacokinetics and Subjective Effects of Oral Nicotine Products Relative to Smokeless Tobacco in Adult UsersAltria Client Services LLC
- Smokeless Tobacco Cessation Intervention for FirefightersDuke University
- Effects of an Oral Nicotine Product in Smokeless Tobacco UsersVirginia Commonwealth University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Health Risks of Smokeless TobaccoAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Health Effects of Smokeless TobaccoDepartment of Health and Human Services
- Properly Store Nicotine Pouches to Prevent Accidental Exposure to Children and PetsFood and Drug Administration
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Tobacco, SmokelessNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Tobacco, Smokeless. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Smokeless Tobacco, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.