BDA ‘welcomes news about plain packaging for cigarettes’

The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed the news that the government has decided to fast track the legislation that would see all cigarettes marketed in plain packaging.

According to the professional body for dentists, it has been campaigning non-stop for plain packaging and is an active member of the Smokefree Action Coalition, as well as a supporter of Action on Smoking and Health.

The BDA explained that tobacco use continues to be one of the main causes of gum disease and oral cancer, with treatment costing the taxpayer millions of pounds every year.

Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser for the association, said that the decision was great news for the future of Britain's oral health. He feels that dentists see the impact of smoking and they often witness cases of cancer and gum disease that could have been prevented.

Distinctive packaging remains one of the tobacco industry's top promotional tools, he continued, which means the government had no reason for delaying this initiative.

He added: "In Australia, the evidence shows that plain packs are already helping make smoking less attractive. Taking the sheen off tobacco is an essential step to helping smokers break the habit, and preventing the next generation reaching for their first cigarette."