Abstract
Cigarette smoke is known to influence breath odour, but the effect of e-cigarettes is unknown. In this pilot study, we aimed to determine differences in breath odour between cigarette smokers (CSs) and e-cigarette consumers (ECs) in 33 healthy subjects: 11 CSs, 11 ECs and 11 non-smokers (NSs). Breath was sampled at baseline and following product use (CSs and ECs) or a waiting period (NSs) by eight trained odour judges using a six-point smoke intensity scale and a nine-point hedonic scale. We observed a statistically significant difference between CSs and ECs. Smoke intensity values were significantly higher in CSs than ECs and NSs, which were comparable both at baseline and after product use. In addition, hedonic values for CSs were significantly lower than both NSs and ECs after product use. These acute results indicate that cigarette and e-cigarette use results in significantly different breath. ECs breath has a reduced smoke odour and more pleasant aroma than CSs, and is comparable to NSs. This suggests there may be cosmetic benefits for CSs who quit smoking or switch to exclusive use of ECs. Further studies are required to understand the long-term effects of e-cigarette use on breath odour.
Highlights
Cigarette smoke is known to influence breath odour, but the effect of e-cigarettes is unknown
The brand was not printed on the cigarette, the number N491 was printed for product identification. ePen 3 is manufactured by British American Tobacco (BAT) and is a closed modular rechargeable e-cigarette consumers (ECs)
Each group’s breath intensity after product use was compared to baseline values and significant differences noted in the case of cigarette smokers (CSs) (p < 0.0001) and ECs
Summary
Cigarette smoke is known to influence breath odour, but the effect of e-cigarettes is unknown. Breath was sampled at baseline and following product use (CSs and ECs) or a waiting period (NSs) by eight trained odour judges using a six-point smoke intensity scale and a nine-point hedonic scale. Organoleptic assessments are routinely used to evaluate the effectiveness of malodour reducing mouthwashes or toothpastes[13,14,15,16] In such studies, odour is usually assessed by blinded judges using a six-point intensity scale from 0 to 5, before and after product u se[17,18]. Thirty-three healthy CSs, ECs or NSs were recruited (11 per group) and their breath was assessed by eight trained odour judges using a six-point smoke intensity scale and nine-point hedonic scale. Recruitment inclusion criteria Uses manufactured filter cigarettes, excluding menthol Minimum of 10 cigarettes per day Smoked for at least 3 consecutive years prior to screening Exhaled CO-level > 7 ppm at screening Consumes a minimum of 160 puffs per day EC user for more than 6 months Uses only e-cigarettes Exhaled CO-level ≤ 6 ppm at screening Have never smoked (< 100 cigarettes/oral tobacco products in their life and none within 1 year prior to screening) Willing to continue not to smoke or use any form of tobacco for the duration of the study Exhaled CO level ≤ 6 ppm
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