E-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes, are considered as a healthier alternative to conventional combustible cigarette smoke.
Increasingly in vogue since they have been launched, they are popular among people wishing to reduce their consumption of combustible cigarettes, but have also conquered young people such as teens who have never smoked before.
However, e-cigarettes can also have a negative impact on health. They contain toxic substances and nicotine levels comparable to traditional cigarette smoke, which cause inflammatory reactions. This is a cause of an oral microbiota dysbiosis.
An oral microbiota altered with electronic cigarettes
119 volunteers were recruited and randomised into 3 groups in order to evaluate the e-cigarette effects on the oral microbial ecosystem:
- Never-smokers ;
- Regular cigarette smokers (11 conventional cigarettes per day) ;
- E-cigarette users (0.5 e-cigarettes per day).
The results are indisputable. Although the severity index of periodontal disease or infection was lower among e-cigarette vapers (42.5%) compared to that of regular cigarette smokers (72.5%), it was undeniably higher than that of non-smokers (28.2%).
Moreover, the oral microbiota composition differed between the 3 arms, showing a specific microbial profile for each group. However, the oral microbiota of e-cigarette users is quite similar to that of conventional smokers, with an oral flora richer in bacteria compared to non-smokers. In addition, traditional and e-cigarettes promote the proliferation of harmful microbial species to oral health. These data suggest that conventional smokers and e-cigarette vapers have an oral microbiota dysbiosis.
E-cigarettes promote infections
Some co-cultured cells with pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis or Fusobacterium nucleatum or Escherischia coli were exposed to air or e-cigarette aerosol, and then analyzed. These pathogens are positively correlated with oral infections. Those exposed to the e-cigarette aerosol showed a significantly higher rate of infection by these pathogens than those exposed to air. Moreover, a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines is to be noted, following exposure to the e-cigarette.
The results from this study provides some initial evidence on the e-cigarette potential risk to the oral cavity, both in terms of oral microbial communities and vulnerability to oral infections.
LC
