New research suggests that if vaping can increase the plate and inflammationIts effects on gum disease remains vague. Should vapers be worried? Here is what the last science reveals.
Study: The impact of the use of electronic cigarettes on periodontal health: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Image credit: my ocean production / trigger
The bleeding gums and the loss of teeth may seem to be concerns of old age, but could your electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) be a contributing factor? A recent study published in the journal Dentistory based on evidence Systematically examined global research on the use of electronic cigarettes and gum health, highlighting potential risks, although traditional smokers are most at risk.
Smoker and dental health
The healthy gums are essential for strong teeth and general well-being, but maintaining them is not always simple. The gum disease is a widespread state, affecting almost half of adults around the world, and is closely linked to the loss of teeth, heart problems and diabetes.
Smoking is a risk factor well known for the worsening of gum health, causing inflammation, bone loss and slower healing. However, the rise in electronic nicotine delivery systems or purposes, commonly known as e-cigarettes or vape, has introduced new questions. Combined as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, these devices provide nicotine by vapor rather than combustion, reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.
However, although electronic cigarettes can reduce certain health risks in relation to smoking, they always introduce chemicals and nicotine into the mouth, which could affect the health of the gums. The extent of their impact remains uncertain due to the limits of the study. The current evidence on this subject remains mixed, some studies suggest that vaping harms the gums and others finding little difference with non-smokers.
This study
This study systematically examined existing research to assess the relationship between the use of electronic cigarettes and periodontal health. Researchers examined studies involving people with healthy gums, gingivitis or periodontitis, excluding magazines, cases and unclean sources, covering the search available until February 2024.
The team included 40 observational and interventional studies which analyzed the clinical health indicators of GUMs such as the depths of survey, bone loss, bleeding, plate levels, the experiments indicated by patients and organic markers. They compared users of electronic cigarettes with non-smokers, former smokers and smokers of tobacco.
To assess reliability, scientists have also evaluated the risk of bias of each study using established tools such as the Newcastle-Oottawa scale. Given that many users of electronic cigarettes had also passed or current smokers, they brought together studies according to the potential bias of smoking and analyzed the data accordingly.
Meta-analyzes have combined the results of 18 studies to identify models through different health results. Subgroup analyzes were also carried out to study how smoking history influenced the results. Given the overlap between the two behaviors, the study has put a particular emphasis on the distinction of the effects of the use of the electronic cigarette in traditional smoking.
Despite a rigorous analysis, many have included studies based on self -depressed smoking habits rather than on biochemical tests, which increased the risk of misleading results. The authors recognized it as a significant limitation and stressed that no include study has confirmed the status of biochemically. This makes it difficult to separate the independent impact of vaping of the persistent effects of smoking.
Major results
The results indicated that users of electronic cigarettes have undergone a deterioration of certain gum health measures compared to non-smokers and former smokers, although smokers have always experienced the worst results. More specifically, vaping was linked to an increase in plaque levels and higher levels of pro-inflammatory organic markers, although the certainty of these results remains low due to the limitations of the design of the study.
However, he has not shown significant differences in relation to non-smokers in deeper gum damage indicators, such as survey depths or bone loss. Vapoters had an accumulation of higher plaque than non-smokers and ancient smokers, suggesting potential risks for gum cavities and diseases. Tobacco smokers, however, had even higher plaque levels.
The bleeding gums and visible inflammation were lower in vapers compared to non-smokers, but the researchers explained that this observation reflected the well-known effect of nicotine in the abolition of gender bleeding, often masking the disease underlying. Smokers have shown the reduction in bleeding from the most significant gums, probably due to similar nicotine effects.
Above all, organic markers have revealed that users of electronic cigarettes had high levels of pro-inflammatory molecules, including cytokines such as interleukin-1β and the factor of tumor-tumor-α necrosis, compared to non-smokers. However, due to the dependence on self -detached data, these results must be interpreted with caution.
In addition, microbiome analyzes have suggested that vaping modified the bacterial environment in the mouth. Some studies have identified bacteria linked to periodontal diseases, such as porphyromonas gingivalis and fusobacterium nucleatum, although these models differ from those observed in tobacco smokers.
Despite these results, the study stressed that many included studies included a high risk of bias, mainly because users of electronic cigarettes often had a history of smoking. Few studies have used biochemical tests to confirm smoking status, based on self-assessment, which can underestimate smoking behavior. This lack of verification reduces the reliability of the conclusions.
Conclusions
Overall, the journal stressed that the use of electronic cigarettes can affect the health of GUMs, with an increase in plaque levels and inflammatory markers compared to non-smokers. However, vapers have generally behaved better than tobacco smokers, who showed the poorest results.
The authors have warned that if vaping seems less harmful to gums than smoking, its effects are not clear and more rigorous research is necessary to draw definitive conclusions. They underlined the need for high quality studies using the status of verified smoking to provide clearer advice on how electronic cigarettes really affect the health of gums.