In a study from the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, scientists found using tobacco in any form—including the increasingly popular practice of vaping can be bad for tooth and gum health.
The team analyzed several years of tracking data that looked at associations between smoking and poor dental health among thousands of American men and women.
The team analyzed three to five years of annual tracking data collected from 2013 to 2019. The six dental issues under consideration were tracked among roughly 10,000 to 16,000 men and women.
About 16% to 19% of them smoked cigarettes regularly, while 2% to 3% smoked cigars or used smokeless tobacco, respectively.
They found regular users of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (vapes), cigars, pipes, hookahs and/or smokeless tobacco face a notably higher risk for various forms of dental trouble.
The researchers showed that depending on the type of tobacco involved, that includes a strongly increased risk for six different types of dental concerns, including gum disease; precancerous oral lesions; bone loss surrounding the teeth; loose teeth; and/or tooth loss due to tooth decay or gum disease.
They also found vaping, which is sometimes viewed as a safer form of tobacco use, was linked to a 27% higher risk of bleeding following brushing or flossing.
In the end, cigarettes were linked to a 33% greater risk for gum disease, a 35% higher risk for loose teeth, and a 43% higher risk of losing teeth, while cigar use was linked to a more than doubling the risk for precancerous oral lesions.
But the researchers also focused on the 2% to 3% of participants who regularly vaped.
Even so, the team was not at all surprised by the finding of a significantly higher risk for gum bleeding after flossing/brushing among vapers.
They noted, for example, that most vapers are former smokers. And they pointed out that means the increased gum bleeding risk among vapers could potentially have something to do with quitting cigarette smoking.
On the other hand, the team warned that despite only linking gum bleeding to vaping, it could be that such bleeding is an early warning for dental problems as yet undetected.
More research to track such longer-term risk will be needed, the study team said.
If you care about tooth health, please read studies about how to prevent and reverse gum disease, and what to know about tooth decay and gum disease.
For more information about tooth health, please see recent studies about diabetes and gum disease, and results showing this diet could help treat gum disease.
The study was conducted by Marushka Silveira et al and published in JAMA Network Open.
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