Abstract
Aim
To investigate the effects of electronic cigarette (EC) use on the oral microbiome and gingival inflammation.
Sample selection
Saliva and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected from 150 adult humans between 18 and 34 years in age (50% EC users). Exclusion criteria included professional dental cleaning, antibiotic, or corticosteroid therapy in the last 3 months. Convenience sampling occurred between June 2017 and October 2018.
Materials and methods
Clinical gingival inflammation was recorded by a single operator using a novel 4-point scale. RNA sequencing was used to determine microbial composition of samples (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing). Statistical analysis included synthesizing alpha and beta diversity using various indices, taxonomic differential abundance analysis, functional differential abundance analysis and mediation analysis. Taxonomic annotation was performed using QIIME2 with functional annotations generated using PICRUSt2. Age, sex, and frequency of tooth brushed were adjusted for.
Results
EC users exhibited significantly greater alpha diversity in microbial species and greater differences between EC users and users in beta diversity. Saliva samples were typically more diverse than subgingival samples. EC users demonstrated greater gingival inflammation when adjusted for age, sex and toothbrushing frequency.
Conclusion
EC use may increase oral dysbiosis. Further clinical studies on the effects of EC use on the oral microbiome and oral diseases are recommended.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 4 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $64.75 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Zhang Y, He J, He B, Huang R, Li M. Effect of tobacco on periodontal disease and oral cancer. Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17:40.
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update. 2022. Online information available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update-main-findings. Accessed October 2023.
NHS England. Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. 2022. Online information available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/. Accessed October 2023.
World Health Organisation. Tobacco: E-cigarettes. 2022. Online information available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/tobacco-e-cigarettes. Accessed October 2023.
McLean JS. Advancements toward a systems level understanding of the human oral microbiome. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2014;4:98.
Peng X, Cheng L, You Y, Tang C, Ren B, Li Y, et al. Oral microbiota in human systematic diseases. Int J Oral Sci. 2022;14:14.
Nath S, Raveendran R. Microbial dysbiosis in periodontitis. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2013;17:543–5.
National Institutes of Health. The functional oral microbiome. 2021. Online information available at: https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/grants-funding/funding-priorities/future-research-initiatives/functional-oral-microbiome. Accessed October 2023.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Adam, M., Hasan, R. The effects of e-cigarette use on the oral microbiome. Evid Based Dent 24, 153–154 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-023-00946-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-023-00946-9
