According to new research, vaping may increase the risk of cavities and tooth disease.
As an assistant professor of comprehensive care at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Karina Irusa explained that the aerosolized e-liquid used in vape pens may cover teeth in a sweet, sticky film that promotes bacteria growth, similar to that caused by going to bed sucking on a lollipop.
Cavities could grow in an aerosol that is sticky and has artificial sweeteners and flavors added to it. According to Irusa, "The sugar is what the bacteria feeds on."
Even though a new study linking vaping and tooth decay was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association on Wednesday, it's important to keep in mind that the results are still very early.
Researchers who study vaping in young people, on the other hand, are worried that the fact that 2.5 million teens in the U.S. alone use e-cigarettes may make this generation more likely to get tooth decay.
It's possible that the aerosol's stickiness is to blame.
Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, said, "We know that young people are vaping 24/7." According to Halpern-Felsher, who was not involved in the new study, "Teens have told us, anecdotally, that they'll get up in the middle of the night and take hits." They sleep with their vape product under their pillow and inhale continuously.
Patients of dental clinic age were the primary focus of the Tufts study. Only 136 out of 13,216 patients reported using e-cigarettes.
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Because of their diet or other oral health conditions, many individuals were already thought to be at high risk for tooth decay.
Irusa noticed that high-risk patients who used e-cigarettes had a "significantly" higher chance of getting cavities than people who didn't use them.
Based on what they found, the Tufts team decided that vapers might benefit from special care, like high-strength fluoride mouthwash and toothpaste.
visible tooth decay from regular vaping.
Tooth decay from vaping can be seen, for example, in the black spots at the front tips of teeth.
Previous work by Irusa's group revealed that decay related to e-cigarette usage might grow in an odd place: on the ends of front teeth.
"The fact that they are less difficult to clean means that they are rarely infected. The convenience of their accessibility, "The Irusan said. The stickiness of the aerosol, I believe, is a big contributing factor.
Dr. Purnima Kumar, chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and spokesman for the American Dental Association, stated, "This is exactly what we expected was going to happen."
Kumar did not participate in the new study, but his own research published in 2020 indicated that e-cigarette use rapidly and irreversibly changes a person's oral flora.
After only six months of use, "their molecular profiles for dental health had changed," Kumar added.
Tobacco smokers "would only observe improvements after five years," the author writes of traditional cigarettes.
Different types of oral bacteria, such as those that thrive on heated e-liquid chemicals like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which give nicotine and sweet flavors to vapes, were found in e-cigarette users.
"The bacteria in your body are always on the lookout for something to eat. As much as 10 hours after vaping today, your microorganisms will still be nourished by the nicotine in the vapour "The words came from her mouth.
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