Vaping and e-cigarettes and oral health

Position Summary:
Vaping may cause serious harm or injury and so should not be used. There should be further research to examine the health impact of the use of and exposure to vaping.

Position Summary:
All adolescents and young adults should have access to education, oral health products, and oral health services that contribute to the maintenance of good oral health. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) should be better promoted and expanded to include mouthguards, and to cover the dental component of in-hospital services for treatments completed under general anaesthesia (GA).

Irusa, K.F., Finkelman, M., Magnuson, B., Donovan, T., & Eisen, S.E. (2022, December). A comparison of the caries risk between patients who use vapes or electronic cigarettes and those who do not: A cross-sectional study. Journal of the American Dental Association, 153(12), 1179-1183.

Xu, F., Aboseria, E., Janal, M.N., Pushalkar, S., Bederoff, M.V., Vasconcelos, R., Sapru, S., Paul, B., Queiroz, E., Makwana, S., Solarewicz, J., Guo, Y., Aguallo, D., Gomez, C., Shelly, D., Aphinyanaphongs, Y., Aphinyanaphongs, Y., Gordon, T., Corby, P.M., Li, X., & Saxena, D. (2021, September 7). Comparative effects of e-cigarette aerosol on periodontium of periodontitis patients. Frontiers in Oral Health, 2, 729144.

Cameron, A., Meng Yip, H., & Garg, M. (2024, March). Current thinking about the effects of e-cigarettes on oral cancer risk. British Dental Journal, 236(5), 397-400.

Cameron, A., Meng Yip, H., & Garg, M. (2023, June). e-Cigarettes and oral cancer: What do we know so far?. The British Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, 61(5), 380-382.

Charde, P., Ali, K., Hamdan, N., & Robinson, J. (2024, March 20). Effects of e-cigarette smoking on periodontal health: A scoping review. PLOS Global Public Health, 4(3), e0002311.

Almeida-da-Silva, C.L.C., Matshik Dakafay, H., O'Brien, K., Montierth, D., Xiao, N., & Ojcius, D.M. (2021, June). Effects of electronic cigarette aerosol exposure on oral and systemic health. Biomedical Journal, 44(3), 252-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2020.07.003

Iacob, A.M., Escobedo Martínez, M.F., Barbeito Castro, E., Junquera Olay, S., Olay García, S., Junquera Gutiérrez, L.M., Park, J., & Chrcanovic, B. (2024, February 21). Effects of vape use on oral health: A review of the literature. Medicina, 60(3), 365.

Camoni, N., Conti, G., Esteves-Oliveira, M., Carvalho, T.S., Roccuzzo, A., Cagetti, M.G., & Campus, G. (2023, August). Electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and oral health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Applied Sciences, 13(17), 9654.

Chaffee, B.W. (2019, February). Electronic cigarettes: trends, health effects and advising patients amid uncertainty. Journal of the California Dental Association, 47(2), 85-92.

Banks, E., Yazidjoglou, A., Brown, S., Nguyen, M., Martin, M., Beckwith, K., Daluwatta, A., Campbell, S., & Joshy, G. (2023, April 3). Electronic cigarettes and health outcomes: Umbrella and systematic review of the global evidence. The Medical Journal of Australia, 218(6), 267-275.

Chaffee, B.W. (2021, August 1). Helping dental patients quit tobacco: What can we do and why should we do it?. Journal of the California Dental Association, 49(8), 483-484.

Wadia, R. (2021, May 28). How safe are e-cigarettes?. British Dental Journal, 230(10), 662.

Rouabhia, M. (2020, March). Impact of electronic cigarettes on oral health: A review. Journal of the Canadian Dental Association, 86, k7.

Group, C.T.A., Holliday, R., Hong, B., McColl, E., Livingstone-Banks, J., & Preshaw, P.M. (2021, February 19). Interventions for tobacco cessation delivered by dental professionals. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021(2).

Mathew, M.G., & Cherian, J. (2025, February 28). Nicotine pouches: A harm reduction breakthrough or a flavoured trap?. British Dental Journal, 238(4), 211. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-8446-4

Keboa, M.T., Enriquez, N., Martel, M., Nicolau, B., & Macdonald, M.E. (2020, January). Oral health implications of cannabis smoking: A rapid evidence review. Journal of the Canadian Dental Association, 86, k2.

Alwafi, A.A., & Abuljadayel, L.W. (2024, December). Oral health of the electronic cigarette smokers: A systematic review. Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 16(Suppl 5), S4331-S4338. https://doi.org/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_573_24

Irusa, K.F., Vence, B., & Donovan, T. (2020, April). Potential oral health effects of e‐cigarettes and vaping: A review and case reports. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 32(3), 260-264.

Tattar, R., Jackson, J. & Holliday, R. (2025, February). The impact of e-cigarette use on periodontal health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Evidence Based Dentistry, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-025-01119-6

Cichońska, D., Kusiak, A., & Goniewicz, M.L. (2024, December). The impact of e-cigarettes on oral health—A narrative review. Dentistry Journal, 12(12), 404. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj12120404

Guney, Z., Altingoz, S.M., Has, H., Serdar, M.A., & Kurgan, S. (2024, April). The impact of electronic cigarettes on peri-implant health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dentistry, 143,104883.

Yang, I., Sandeep, S., & Rodriguez, J. (2020, February). The oral health impact of electronic cigarette use: A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 50(2), 97-127.

Zhang, Q., & Wen, C. (2023, May 15). The risk profile of electronic nicotine delivery systems, compared to traditional cigarettes, on oral disease: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11.

Couch, E.T., Urata, J.Y., & Chaffee, B.W. (2019, February 1). Tobacco counseling in dental settings. Journal of the California Dental Association, 47(2), 93-95.

Briggs, K., Bell, C., & Breik, O. (2021, September). What should every dental health professional know about electronic cigarettes?. Australian Dental Journal, 66(3), 224-233.

#Dental Files, 20 December 2023, 31m 4s
At FDI 2023, Prof Purnima Kumar discussed why vaping is certainly not a safe option, and why obtaining coherent research findings and recommendations can be so difficult, given the wide variation in vaping fluids, hardware and usage patterns. We also learn that the majority of vape users eventually progress to smoking conventional cigarettes – contrary to early claims that vaping products would assist with quitting smoking.

#Dental Files, 1 September 2021, 19m 19s
In this interview by Dr Patrick Meaney, Dr Purnima Kumar (Professor of Periodontology at The Ohio State University) talks about vaping as a cultural phenomena, and more importantly, why dentists need to understand its effect on the oral environment.

Podcast, 1 September 2014, 8m 59s.
In this interview, Dr Alan Middleton joins Professor David Currow to discuss the contribution dentists can make to reduce smoking rates within the community.

Information prepared by Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

CSIRO review into the use and health impacts of e-cigarettes and personal vaporisers.

Tobacco in Australia: Facts and issues.
Go to section 18.6.7 for discussion on e-cigarette use and oral health.

2021 fact sheet prepared by FDI World Dental Federation.

Facts about electronic cigarettes, their health effects and the risks of using e-cigarettes prepared by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vaping facts, resources and news provided by VicHealth.

Article by Lisa Catanese, Harvard Health Publishing January 2, 2024.
Popcorn lung is a rare condition that results from damage to tiny air sacs and passages in the lungs. Symptoms include breathing problems such as shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. Experts say it's possible that using e-cigarettes and vaping can cause popcorn lung.

Information from Teeth.org.au, an oral health information website created by the Australian Dental Association.

Information from Teeth.org.au, an oral health information website created by the Australian Dental Association.

Questions and answers provided by the World Health Organization.