According to recent research, using vaping products may make dental caries more likely.
The study by Tufts University School of Dental Medicine researchers, which was published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, analyzed data from more than 13,216 patients older than 16 who were treated at Tufts dental clinics from 2019-2022.
13,080 (99.3%) of them stated they did not use vapes or e-cigarettes, and 136 (0.69%) of them admitted to using them.
Researchers found that some 79% of the vaping patients were categorized as having high caries risk, compared to about 60% of the patients not using e-cigarettes.
Due to the thick and sugary vaping liquid, which adheres to teeth when inhaled through the mouth, using e-cigarettes can raise the risk of cavities.
Additionally, vaping aerosols alters the oral microbiome, making bacteria that cause decay more at home. Furthermore, it appears that vaping promotes decay in places where it does not normally occur, like the front teeth’s bottom edges.
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students reported smoking e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Of those, more than one in four (27.6%) used them daily.
Previous studies suggested that because vaping products do not involve combustion or contain tobacco, they are less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
However, two recent studies suggest that long-term use of electronic cigarettes can impair the function of the blood vessels, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.