Study Examines the Adverse Effects of E-cigarettes on the Oral Microbiome

A recent study examining the effects of e-cigarette exposure suggests vaping negatively alters the oral cavity’s microbial ecosystem. Findings from the study, “Adverse Effects of Electronic Cigarettes on the Disease-Naive Oral Microbiome,” were published in Science Advances. Researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus studied the microbial ecosystem of 123 systemically and periodontally healthy subjects. They collected subgingival plaque samples from 15 sites on six maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth from five groups: 25 smokers, 25 nonsmokers, 20 e-cigarette users, 25 former smokers currently using e-cigarettes, and 28 concomitant cigarette and e-cigarette users. The authors found what they describe as pathogen overrepresentation, higher virulence signatures, and a brisk proinflammatory signal in clinically healthy e-cigarette users, equivalent to patients with severe periodontitis. They concluded, “When we examine the present data in the context of what we already know about bacterial virulence mechanisms and host inflammatory response, our intermediate biomarker analysis strongly suggests e-cigarettes have the potential to shift the host-microbiome equilibrium, posing a significant risk for future disease.”

From Decisions in Dentistry. June 2020;6(6):7.