95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Oral. Health
Sec. Oral Epidemiology
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1569806
The effects of electronic smoking on dental caries and proinflammatory markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2 Department of Applied Dental Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Irbid, Jordan
- 3 ent of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Odontology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Smoking and the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are common practices that have significant consequences for oral health. Although the negative impact of traditional tobacco products on oral tissues is widely known, the emergence of e-cigs poses a new obstacle. This review summarises existing data on the influence of e-cigs on oral health, with a specific emphasis on dental caries and pro-inflammatory agents. A comprehensive search was conducted via PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus to identify relevant studies published until September 2024. The structured search strategy uncovered 42 articles that were read in full text. The included articles consisted of clinical trials, observational studies, and laboratory investigations that examined the impact of e-cig aerosol on oral bacteria and pro-inflammatory markers and its potential to contribute to dental caries. The findings indicate that e-cig users may have a higher prevalence of dental caries compared with non-smokers. Most studies focusing on bacteria showed that vaping may inhibit normal flora, giving cariogenic bacteria a chance to grow more. This finding indicates a notable oral health risk associated with vaping. Meta-analyses suggest no effect of using e-cigs on the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in saliva, even if it may affect their levels in GCF. However, in GCF, only one study reported TNF-α and IL-1β, and only two studies reported IL-6 and IL-8. Nevertheless, the effects of ecigs on dental caries require further investigation since the data do not provide a clear picture. This review emphasises the necessity for ongoing research to clarify the mechanisms that cause these consequences and to guide public health policies aimed at reducing the harm caused by e-cigarettes.
Keywords: Dental Caries, E-cigarettes, Electronic Smoking, Proinflammatory markers, vaping
Received: 01 Feb 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tabnjh, Alizadehgharib, Campus and Lingström. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Abedelmalek Kalefh Tabnjh, Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.