Vaping May Lead to Gum Disease
Vaping and e-cigarettes alter your oral health and may play a role in the development of gum disease, according to researchers at the NYU College of Dentistry.
What to Know:
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E-cigarettes and the chemicals they contain change the oral microbiome and disrupt the balance of bacteria, creating risks to oral health.
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Analyzing the bacteria found in plaque samples, researchers determined that those who vape have unique patterns in bacteria that are different oral microbiomes from cigarette smokers and nonsmokers.
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Vaping is associated with different levels of cytokines, which are linked to an imbalance in oral bacteria and can worsen gum disease by making people prone to inflammation and infection.
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Smoking cigarettes is a known risk factor for developing gum disease, but the study shows that e-cigarettes — which vaporize nicotine and other chemicals — poses another risk to oral health.
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Gum disease affects nearly half of US adults over 30 years of age.
This is a summary of the article “Evidence Grows for Vaping’s Role in Gum Disease,” published in mBio by the American Society for Microbiology on February 22, 2022. The full article can be found on asm.org.
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