Vaping Can Cause Oral Diseases

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

Vaping can cause oral diseases

Changes in the oral microbiome in vapers indicate their risk of developing gum and mucous membrane diseases. After what time and what diseases - scientists cannot say for sure.

Vaping can potentially cause disease not only in the lungs and bronchi. New research, published in Science Advances, demonstrates changes in the oral microbiome in healthy young vapers that could lead to gum disease.

It was previously known that smoking significantly affects the health of the oral cavity, causing a whole spectrum of pathologies from gingivitis to cancer. Scientists have suggested that the impact of tobacco smoke on the microbe plays a role in the emergence of these diseases.

In the new study, the researchers took plaque samples from more than 120 young, healthy volunteers, including vapers, ex-smokers and nonsmokers. They sequenced the genetic material.

“It [the oral microbiome] reacts to changes in the environment much earlier than the human body does. Therefore, he almost predicts the future for us. We found that vaping has a huge impact on the microbiome, and bacteria respond to stress by forming a thin layer of mucus,”explained Gizmodo Purnima Kumar, Ohio State University professor and lead author of the study.

Kumar suggests that the detected changes (activation of genes in bacteria that are responsible for the synthesis of mucus) should lead to the fact that the immune system ceases to recognize beneficial bacteria. As a result, inflammation can develop in the gums and the beneficial components of the microbiome can be damaged.

The scientists note that although the study participants were completely healthy, some of them had a microbiome similar to that of people with gum disease. The path from changes in the composition of the microbiota to the development of the disease takes many years, the authors of the study point out, and in this case it is not known what pathologies should appear.

Disorders in the oral microbiome in vapers were no less severe than those in smokers. Similar changes were seen in vapers, ex-smokers who switched to vaping, and those who combined smoking and vaping. Scientists suggest that glycerol and glycol play an important role in disrupting the microbiome.