Abstract
A wealth of research has comprehensively documented the harmful effects of traditional cigarette smoking and nicotine on human health. The lower rate of exposure to harmful chemicals and toxic substances offered by alternative electronic smoking devices (e-cigarettes, vaping, etc.) has made these methods of smoking popular, especially among adolescents and young adults, and they are regarded frequently as safer than regular cigarettes. During vaporization of these so-called e-liquids, toxins, carcinogens and various other chemical substances may be released and inhaled by the user. Data on the potential human health effect attendant on exposure to e-vapor are based mainly on animal and in vitro studies. The oral tissues are the first locus of direct interaction with the components of the inhaled vapor. However, the short-term as well as long-term effects of the exposure are not known. The aim of the review is to briefly present data on the effects of the chemical components and toxins of e-cigarette vapor on oral cavity cells and tissues of oral health.
Highlights
There are three major paired salivary glands located outside the mouth and their secretion is transported via ducts opening in the oral cavity
The impaired antioxidant function of saliva can stimulate the formation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which play a role in the progression of periodontitis and destruction of tissue [57]
The study indicates that exposure to e-cigarette aerosol that contains various ingredients, toxicants and carcinogens can exert harmful effects and induce changes in human oral health, inducing disbiosis, inflammation, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, contributing to in periodontal diseases
Summary
Despite there being extensive information available on the harmfulness of conventional cigarette smoking, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are regarded as a safer alternative, which are popular among both adults, young adults and teens, and their use has increased rapidly [1]. The results from the systematic review and meta analysis performed by O’Brien group (2021) indicated that e-cigarette use in Europe and North America by teenagers correlates with the initiation of conventional smoking [1]. In Poland, there have been studies aimed at assessing patterns of e-cigarette use and comparing nicotine dependence among cigarette and e-cigarette users in a group of highly educated young adults. While the harmful effects of traditional cigarette smoking on human health is well researched, knowledge of the effects of exposition to e-aerosol is limited, and above all there is a lack of long-term studies.
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