E-Cigarettes are affecting oral health, here is all you need to know
Electronic cigarettes are damaging gums and teeth
In a scientific study that looks at the effect of the e-cigarettes on cellular and molecular levels, a team of researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, USA has found that e-cigarettes are affecting oral health. In their study, published this week in the journal Oncotarget, the team exposed to 3D human, non-smoker gum tissue to the vapors of e-cigarettes.
They have found out that when the vapors from the e-cigarette burned, the cells in the tissue released inflammatory proteins which have aggravated stress within cells. This stress can be potentially damage the cells, which could further then lead to various oral diseases. “How much and how often someone is smoking e-cigarettes will determine the extent of damage to the gums and oral cavity,” said lead author Irfan Rahman commenting on the results.
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E-Cigarettes are affecting oral health
The team has also found that the flavoring chemicals used in the e-cigarettes can also damage cells in the mouth, with some making the damage to the cells even worse, with the co-author FawadJaved adding.
However, in another study released this week, published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology, a team from Université Laval, Canada has found out that a large number of mouth cells died within days of been exposed to these e-cigarette vapor in the laboratory.
The researchers has further exposed gingival epithelial cells (from gum tissue), which are the body’s first line of the defense against microbial infection, to e-cigarette vapor. They have revealed that E- cigarettes are affecting oral health.
Long-term effects have not yet been researched
To simulate what happens in a person’s mouth while vaping, the cells were placed in a small chamber containing a saliva-like liquid. The team has seen that the percentage of dead or the dying cells, which is about 2% in the unexposed cell cultures, increased to 18%, 40%, and 53% after 1, 2, and 3 days of exposure to e-cigarette vapor, respectively.
Although the long-term effects have not yet been researched, lead researcher Dr. Mahmoud Rouabhia did warn that, “Damage to the defensive barrier in the mouth can increase the risk of infection, inflammation, and gum disease. Over the longer term, it may also increase the risk of cancer. This is what we will be investigating in the future.”
