Question - Catha edulis, also known as Khat (or qat), is a plant indigenous to East Africa and southern Arabia. The twigs and leaves of this plant are chewed by millions of people worldwide for the stimulant effects imparted by this substance. What are the adverse oral health effects associated with chewing khat?
Answer - The cited article notes “Studies showed that khat is associated with several oral and dental conditions including keratotic white lesions, mucosal pigmentation, periodontal disease, tooth loss, plasma call stomatitis and xerostomia. There are limited data on the incidence of dental caries among khat chewers. The evidence that khat chewing is a risk factor for oral cancer is still weak and is mainly based on anecdotal case reports and uncontrolled studies.” (Al-Maweri SA et al. Khat (Catha edulis) and its oral health effects: An updated review. 2018 J Invest Clin Dent. 2018;9:e12288.https://doi.org/10.1111/jicd.12288)