Iacob, A. M., Escobedo Martínez, M. F., Barbeito Castro, E., Junquera Olay, S., Olay García, S., Junquera Gutiérrez, L. M. (2024). Effects of Vape Use on Oral Health: A Review of the Literature. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 60(3), 365. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60030365
Vaping devices have increased in popularity over recent years, with the commercial target audience being younger people. Studies have proposed that enhanced communication is essential to effectively convey the potential oral health risks associated with vaping. They highlight the crucial role of dentists in disseminating accurate and reliable information about these devices to the public.
This literature review explores the effects of vaping on oral health, with a focus on the increased risks of oral diseases such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, dental caries and reduced saliva antioxidant capacity.
The literature review included studies published in the past six years and the following search engines were used: Pubmed, Elsevier Scopus, and Web of Science using the keywords “oral health”, “vaping”, and “vape”.
Amongst these 22 studies, which included 31,647 participants (14,477 males and 17,170 females) 8 were qualitatively assessed. The average age of the participants was 35 years old. One study found vape liquids with added flavouring negatively affected biofilm formation and inhibited the growth of oral commensal bacteria, compared to unflavoured vape liquids.
Another study identified elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers and growth factors in the saliva and gingival crevicular fluid of vape users, cigarette smokers, and individuals who use both. In addition, hyperplastic candidiasis was identified as a common oral mucosal lesion among e-cigarette users. increased occurrence of untreated caries was also identified.
Whilst the review found vaping may pose a lower risk to oral health compared to smoking, it is associated with an increased likelihood of gingivitis, periodontal disease, and dental caries. This study underpins the necessity for more effective communication about these risks from dental healthcare professionals especially with their growing popularity.
Research Summary Written By: Raman Dehil, University of Manchester – BDS4