A study by scientists at British American Tobacco (BAT) has looked into the effects of vaping on teeth. By examining teeth exposed to cigarette smoke over a two-week period and comparing to those exposed to vaping for the same time period, the study showed that vaping does not stain teeth.
Cigarettes and a prototype e-cigarette were tested on cow's teeth that had been incubated in an oven at body temperature in human saliva and the results of the study were presented at the American Association for Dental Research annual conference. The conditions created by scientists aimed to cultivate the same conditions found in a human mouth as much as possible.
During the two week period, the teeth exposed to vapour did not stain but those exposed to cigarette smoke showed signs of staining very quickly due to the tar content in cigarettes. A spokesman for BAT stated:
“After the first day, the teeth exposed to the smoke extract started to change colour and over the course of 14 days, these teeth got darker and darker in colour. Even with the naked eye, the colour changes with the cigarette extract could be easily seen after one day. In contrast to teeth exposed to smoke those exposed to an e-cigarette or THP vapour exhibited the minimal change in colour, similar to untreated teeth.”
The results support another study undertaken last October that looked at the oral health of vapers who had just switched to smoking. 110 participants had their oral condition examined at the start of the study, then after 60 days and after 120 days from the initial examination. The results showed that the switch to vaping had greatly improved oral health in regards to plaque and gum bleeding over the course of the study.
