Oral microbiome of electronic cigarette users: A cross-sectional exploration.

OBJECTIVE: Electronic cigarettes have increased in popularity globally. Vaping may be associated with oral symptoms and pathologies including dental and periodontal damage, both of which have an underlying microbial etiology. The primary aim of this pilot study, therefore, was to compare the oral microbiome of vapers and non-vapers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This secondary data analysis had a cross-sectional comparative descriptive design and included data for 36 adults. Bacterial 16S rRNA genes were extracted and amplified from soft tissue oral swab specimens and taxonomically classified using the Human Oral Microbiome Database. RESULTS: Data for 18 vapers and 18 non-vapers were included in this study. Almost 56% of the vapers also smoked conventional cigarettes. Beta diversity differences were identified between vapers and non-vapers. Vapers had a significantly higher relative abundance of an unclassified species of Veillonella compared with non-vapers. Dual users had higher alpha diversity compared with exclusive vapers. Beta diversity was also associated with dual use. Multiple OTUs were identified to be associated with dual use of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: Vapers exhibit an altered oral microbiome. Dual use of electronic cigarettes and conventional cigarettes is associated with the presence of several known pathogenic microbes.

The oral health impact of electronic cigarette use: a systematic review.

Introduction: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is becoming more prevalent and is particularly popular among adolescents and conventional smokers. While the oral health sequelae of conventional smoking are well-established, the impact of e-cigarettes on oral health is still unknown. This study aims to systematically review the available research evidence on the oral health impact of e-cigarette use.Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and used the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool to evaluate the evidence. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) were systematically searched for studies including case reports. Two independent reviewers extracted data and synthesized the findings.Results: Ninety-nine articles were included in this systematic review. Analyses of the articles yielded seven categories based on symptom similarity and/or focus: mouth effects, throat effects, periodontal effects, dental effects, cytotoxic/genotoxic/oncologic effects, oral microbiome effects, and traumatic/accidental injury. The majority of mouth and throat symptoms experienced by e-cigarette users were relatively minor and temporary, with some evidence that conventional smokers who switched to e-cigarettes experienced mitigation of these symptoms. E-cigarette exposure increased the risk for deteriorating periodontal, dental and gingival health as well as changes to the oral microbiome. Extensive dental damage as a result of e-cigarette explosions were described in case reports. Components of e-cigarette vapor have known cytotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic properties.Conclusions: Although switching to e-cigarettes may mitigate oral symptomatology for conventional smokers, findings from this review suggest that a wide range of oral health sequelae may be associated with e-cigarette use. Well-designed studies to investigate oral health outcomes of e-cigarette use are needed.

Saliva and Exhaled Breath Condensate Correlate With Serum in 4-12-Year-Olds Exposed to Secondhand Electronic Cigarette Vapors: A Pilot Study.

Electronic cigarette use is highest among adults of child-bearing age. Many parents that use electronic cigarettes believe that secondhand exposure of electronic cigarette vapors for their children is not dangerous and is less harmful than secondhand exposure to traditional cigarette smoke. These beliefs may prompt excessive secondhand exposure to electronic cigarette vapors for their children. Little research has been done to document exposure in children. The traditional biological method of exposure detection is through a blood draw, which is difficult and undesirable in children. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using saliva and exhaled breath condensate as non-invasive biomatrices for detecting secondhand electronic cigarette vapor exposure in children. In this cross-sectionally designed study, we recruited 22 children exposed to electronic cigarette vapors and 26 non-exposed between the ages of 4-12 years. We compared metabolic features across three biomatrices, blood, saliva, and exhaled breath condensate. We noted moderate to strong pairwise, sample-specific, and feature-specific adjusted correlations. Annotated features associated with direct and secondhand electronic cigarette exposure were noted. These results demonstrate that less invasive biomatrices may be used to detect features associated with secondhand electronic cigarette vapor exposure in children.