Vaping has become a common habit in the UK in recent years, but the pros and cons have been heavily debated. On the one hand, it is backed by the NHS as an effective way to stop smoking. On the other, there are widespread concerns about under-age vaping, especially with single-use devices.
The government is reportedly considering announcing a ban on these very soon to address concerns about the impact on teenage health, including conditions like ‘popcorn lung’, as well as littering and the fire hazards posed by the lithium batteries in them.
If so, the UK government will follow in the footsteps of France, which has just announced plans for a ban.
This story has been picked up by Dentistry Magazine, which begs the question of what impact vaping has on oral health and whether your dentist should be among those urging you to stop.
In a previous article on this topic last year, the site noted there had been many claims made of dire oral consequences for vapers, but stated that this was not supported by the evidence.
Moreover, it listed some very clear benefits for those who used vaping as a means of smoking cessation. Such patients would no longer be exposing themselves to carcinogenic substances like tar and other chemicals in cigarette smoke. This has wide health benefits, not least a greatly reduced possibility of mouth cancer.
For those who smoke, therefore, switching to vaping is better for your oral health.
The article went on to say that very little study had been carried out so far on the dental impact on those who took up vaping having never smoked, this being a cohort made up mostly of teenagers. There is some evidence that periodontal health is worse among vapers and mouth dryness is an issue, but the wider consequences have been “poorly studied”.
Therefore, while there may be many good health reasons to ban single-use vapes, it cannot conclusively be said that oral health is one of them, while replacing smoking with vaping is a positive move.