Vaping… Is Your Dentist Aware That You’re Doing It?

The CDC reports cigarette smoking is the most common tobacco product used in the United States (1 in 5 U.S. adults or over 49.2 million people). E-cigarettes are the second most commonly used form of tobacco and are popular with young adults. The CDC reports an uptick in vaping usage from 5.5% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2023. In 2024, the National Use Tobacco Survey showed that 5.9% of middle school and high school students used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Perhaps a small percentage perceived by our readers, but an impactful statistic when you consider the devastating health and oral conditions that can occur.

Developed as a smoking cessation tool, e-cigarettes were first brought to the U.S. market in 2006 by Chinese scientist Hon Lik. However, the concept of vaping is not new and has been around for over a century. The idea of an “electric vaporizer” was patented by Joseph Robinson in 1927 and in 1963, Herbert Gilbert patented a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette” that heated a flavored liquid without combustion. The scientists involved in the development and commercial distribution of the modern-day e-cigarette were aligned with one similar goal, creating an alternative nicotine delivery system without the harmful chemicals found in tobacco, which can be directly linked to lung and many other cancers.

The health consequences associated with vaping are exposure to toxic chemicals, nicotine addiction, brain harm in adolescence, lung damage, and cardiovascular damage. A Mayo Clinic Proceeding concluded that six young individuals with a history of vaping suffered near fatal cardiac events and even arrest after vape use. Most commonly, vaping can be directly associated with “popcorn lung”, a condition which starts in the small airways of the lung; exposure to the Diacetyl found in the liquid (which flavors the vaping smoke) creates scar tissue which over time leads to respiratory failure.

With the uptake in use, oral health care providers commonly diagnose vape usage. Vaping reduces the antioxidant capacity of saliva, causing dry mouth and changes in the oral pH, predisposing patients to more cavities. Periodontitis and gum disease which can lead to tooth loss is another common dental diagnosis due to heat and chemicals. The National Institute of Health reports experimental studies on oral cell lines that have shown DNA strand breakage from exposure to e-cigarette vapors with or without nicotine, which suggests that the potential for oral cancer does not go away with vaping. In fact, this study revealed that there was a 62% association with molecular and functional analysis proving the direct cause of oral cancer from vaping. 

Though developed and marketed as a “healthier” form of tobacco use, the oral and systemic findings show many detrimental effects of vaping. Should you want to know more or consider cessation, please go to our website at www.mequonsmiledesign.com.