Evidence Grows for Vaping ’s Role in Gum Disease

 Feb. 22, 2022Washington, DC – February 22, 2022 – A series of new studies by researchers at New York University ' s College of Dentistry highlights how e-cigarettes alter oral health and may be contributing to gum disease. The latest, published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, finds that e-cigarette users have a unique oral microbiome —the community of bacteria and other microorganisms—that is less healthy than nonsmokers but potentially healthier than cigarette smokers and measures worsening gum disease over time. “To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of oral health and e-cigarette use. We are now beginning to understand how e-cigarettes and the chemicals they contain are changing the oral microbiome and disrupting the balance of bacteria,” said Deepak Saxena, who led the research with X in Li; both are professors of molecular pathobiology at NYU College of Dentistry. Gum disease affects nearly half of U.S. adults over 30 years of age. Smoking cigarettes is a known risk factor for developing gum disease, but less is known about the impact of e-cigarettes —which vaporize nicotine and other chemicals—on oral health, especially the long-term consequences of vaping. The researchers studied the oral health of 84 adults from three groups: cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users and people who have never smoked. Gum disease was assessed through 2 dental exams 6 months ap...
Source: Dental Technology Blog - Category: Dentistry Source Type: news