Irusa K F, Finkelman M, Magnuson B, Donovan T, Eisen S E. A comparison of the caries risk between patients who use vapes or electronic cigarettes and those who do not: A cross-sectional study. J Am Dent Assoc 2022; 153: 1179-1183.

E-cigarettes may increase a patient's caries risk level.

This study assessed the association between e-cigarette or vape use and caries risk level. A cross-sectional study of patient records was conducted; 13,098 patients who attended the dental school clinics from January 2019, through January 2022, were included. Data from 13,216 patients were included in the data set initially; 99.3% responded 'no' when asked whether they used e-cigarettes or vapes, and 0.69% responded 'yes'. There was a statistically significant difference in caries risk levels between the e-cigarette or vape group and the control group; 14.5%, 25.9%, and 59.6% of the control group were in the low, moderate, and high caries risk categories, respectively, and 6.6%, 14.3%, and 79.1% of the e-cigarette or vape group were in the low, moderate, and high caries risk categories, respectively. In this population, vaping patients had a higher risk of developing caries.