It has been known for years that smoking can contribute to serious damage to gum and oral health, with smokers suffering more gum disease, more tooth loss and increased levels of oral cancer. It is also known that gum disease can play a negative role on systemic health, for example, it is implicated in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, inflammatory bowel disease and others. In parallel, regular warnings against vaping usually only highlight harm to the heart and lungs, but do not refer to oral health. The EFP (European Federation of Periodontology) warns that vaping e-cigarettes can be as harmful to gums and oral health as smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. Although the vaping phenomenon is relatively new compared to smoking, meaning the details of the research are still incomplete, the evidence shows a clear link between e-cigarettes and poor gum and mouth health.
Unlike tobacco smokers, who are more aware of smoking as a risk factor for general health problems and gum disease, vaping users are often led to think of e-cigarettes as somehow less harmful or even safe. Vaping may be no less harmful to your gums and oral health than smoking. One reason for the harmful impact of vaping is nicotine, whether smoked or vaporized, which limits blood flow to the gums. Other chemicals contained in e-cigarette vapor (including formaldehyde, propylene glycol and traces of benzene) can aggressively increase damage to the mouth, starting with a progressive destruction of the periodontium, the tissue that supports the teeth. Unfortunately, the number of vapers is growing rapidly globally. This prevalence appears to be greatest among adolescents, young adults and people who have never smoked.
Andreas Stavropoulos, chair of the EFP Scientific Affairs Committee and immediate past president of the EFP, commented: “Damage to the gums and tissues supporting the teeth, often to an irreversible state, is a likely adverse effect of vaping. This damage includes permanent resorption of the gums and bone that keep the teeth functioning and in the mouth. Treatment of these problems is often complicated and expensive. For these reasons at EFP we urge healthcare professionals not to suggest vaping as a transition strategy to quitting smoking. Instead, prioritize smoking cessation advice for both regular and e-cigarettes and provide patients with information about the likely harmful impact of vaping on gums and oral health. Indeed, it Vaping can harm oral health in other ways: paratracheal edema, laryngitis, nicotine stomatitis and toothache.”
It may also be true that vaping does not have carcinogenic effects on the lung and other organs, but evidence obtained in the last 5 years indicates that the internal metabolism of the components of the liquid can produce derivatives with direct toxic properties on the lung, kidney, bladder and of the mucous membranes. Not to mention that cases of chemical gastritis from nicotine are increasing: this substance is not carcinogenic but disturbs the vagus nerve that runs next to the lungs and stomach. And there are many (also reported to this scientific editorial team) cases of tachycardia, sudden sensations of hunger for air or tightness in the chest, acid reflux and similar things. And finally, as with every new thing invented by man, 30 to 50 years must pass before we know everything that really lies behind it.
- Edited by Dr. Gianfrancesco Cormaci, PhD, specialist in Clinical Biochemistry.
Scientific references
Abbott AJ et al. J Dental Hyg. 2023; 97(4):21-35.
Lohner V et al. Addiction. 2023; 118(7):1359-69.
Tommasi S et al. Nicot Tob Res. 2023; 25(6):1145.
Rebuli ME et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2023; 20(1):1-17.