PRODUCT WATCH ROUNDUP We’ve added new information to ASH Wales Product Watch about nicotine products that may be less familiar. Pouchless nicotine pods have a UK-facing retail listing: these small oral portions have no outer pouch and are not designed to melt. We’ve also added international examples of ultra-thin and semi-gel nicotine pouches, and updated our page on gels, creams, sprays and nasal inhalers. UK or Welsh availability has not been established for those international examples. These updates explain what the products are, what is verified and what remains uncertain. They do not establish how widely any product is used in Wales.
Smoking and oral cancer: reducing tobacco exposure matters.
Smoking and other forms of tobacco increase the risk of cancers affecting the mouth, tongue, lips and throat.
Is there any point stopping now?
Yes. The NHS recommends quitting smoking and stopping chewing tobacco, betel nut or paan as ways to lower the risk of mouth cancer.
Free support in Wales
Help Me Quit offers free NHS stop smoking support across Wales.
How smoking affects oral cancer
Tobacco exposes tissues in the mouth and throat to cancer-causing chemicals. Risk can be higher when tobacco use is combined with heavy alcohol consumption.
What happens when you stop?
Stopping removes ongoing tobacco exposure and lowers the risk of several cancers and other smoking-related diseases over time.
For diagnosis or treatment
If you have a mouth ulcer, lump, patch or other change that is not going away, speak to a dentist or GP. ASH Wales does not diagnose oral cancer.