There might be an upside to using e-cigarettes – something that will definitely appeal to proponents of vaping. A new study suggests that unlike regular cigarettes, using an e-cigarette device does not stain teeth.
Researchers from the British American Tobacco (BAT) organization conducted a study that looked closely at teeth exposed to cigarette smoke, comparing these to teeth exposed to vaping over two weeks, Newsweek reports. The study’s results were presented at the annual conference of the American Association for Dental Research.
The team used a prototype e-cigarette and the tobacco heating product called glo to determine teeth discoloration on cows. The products were then compared to cigarette smoke.
The scientists incubated the teeth in an oven at the body temperature of human saliva, to mimic what happens inside the human mouth. The teeth were then exposed to extracts of e-cigarette smoke, regular cigarette smoke, and THP vapor.
The cows’ teeth that were exposed to e-cigarette smoke and vapor did not become stained, while the ones exposed to cigarette smoke showed signs of staining at once. This is a result of tar in cigarette smoke.
After the first day, the teeth exposed to the smoke extract started to change color and over the course of 14 days, these teeth got darker and darker in color,
the researchers wrote. “Even with the naked eye, the color changes with the cigarette extract could be easily seen after one day. In contrast to teeth exposed to smoke those exposed to e-cigarette or THP vapor exhibited minimal change in color, similar to untreated teeth.”
The group most likely to vape in the United States are the youth. In 2016 alone, over two million middle and high school students admitting to using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While these devices are considered less damaging to the health compared to normal cigarettes, they still contain potentially harmful substances.
