Cigarette smokers face greater periodontal damage than e-cigarette users, study reveals!

As per the findings of a cross-sectional observational study, cigarette smokers experienced greater periodontal damage, with both cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users displaying more acidic saliva and elevated cotinine levels compared to never-smokers. The study sought to examine levels of cotinine, periodontal health, and salivary pH among cigarette users, e-cigarette users, and individuals who have never smoked.

The research involved 144 volunteers segregated into three groups: 48 cigarette users, 48 e-cigarette users, and 48 non-smokers. Examination of periodontal health was done by checking plaque index, gingival index, periodontal probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment loss. Salivary pH was estimated with the aid of a portable pH meter, while salivary cotinine levels were determined utilizing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Statistical analysis revealed that cigarette smokers had considerably higher probing pocket depth, a greater percentage of pocket depths ≥ 4 mm, and more severe clinical attachment loss compared to e-cigarette users and never-smokers. E-cigarette users, on the other hand, exhibited higher gingival index scores, as shown in Table 1:

Both cigarette and e-cigarette users had more acidic salivary pH and raised cotinine levels as opposed to never-smokers. To sum up, cigarette smokers suffer from poorer gum health compared to e-cigarette users and never-smokers. However, both cigarette and e-cigarette users display highly acidic saliva and boosted levels of cotinine as opposed to those who have never smoked. The growing use of e-cigarettes emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to determine e-cigarette use in smoking history, raise awareness of potential oral health risks, and incorporate it in smoking cessation counseling. The study also suggests the requisition for regulatory measures to monitor nicotine levels in e-cigarette products.