To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.

 
 

Description

Abstract

Background: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adults has risen rapidly over the past decade, prompting concern about potential adverse effects on oral health. Although the systemic consequences of e-cigarette exposure have been increasingly studied, effects on the oral mucosa remain less clearly defined. Existing investigations describe a range of oral mucosal findings, but reported outcomes and assessment methods are inconsistent, making it difficult to draw clear conclusions.

Objectives: To systematically review the available evidence examining the association between electronic cigarette use and oral mucosal lesions/alterations in adults, compared with non-users or other tobacco exposure groups.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus to identify original English-language studies evaluating oral mucosal outcomes in adult e-cigarette users. The PubMed search yielded n = 438 records, and the Scopus search yielded n = 509 records. Following duplicate removal, titles and abstracts were screened, and full texts were reviewed for eligibility. Inclusion criteria encompassed original human studies assessing oral mucosal lesions or clinically assessed mucosal alterations via oral examination, cytologic analysis, or histologic evaluation. Studies limited to biomarkers without mucosal assessment, animal models, and non-original articles were excluded. Eligible studies were synthesized qualitatively due to heterogeneity in outcomes and study designs.

Results: Six studies met inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Included studies consisted of cross-sectional analyses, comparative observational studies, and descriptive clinical reports. Outcomes evaluated across studies included clinically diagnosed oral mucosal lesions, cytologic and genotoxic alterations of buccal mucosal cells, and structural changes of oral or gingival mucosa. Comparator groups varied and included non-users, former smokers, and cigarette smokers. Outcome definitions and assessment methods varied substantially across studies.

Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that electronic cigarette use may be associated with clinically assessed oral mucosal lesions and mucosal alterations in adults. However, differences in exposure definitions, comparator groups, and outcome assessment methods limit the strength of these current conclusions. Further longitudinal and clinical studies using standardized oral mucosal evaluation criteria are needed to better define the oral health effects of electronic cigarette use.

Disciplines

Oral Biology and Oral Pathology

Keywords

Electronic cigarette E-cigarette Vaping Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) Oral mucosa Oral mucosal lesion Oral lesion Oral mucosal alteration Nicotine stomatitis Recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Document Type

Poster

Event Website

https://www.roseman.edu/research/research-symposium/

Download

Share

COinS
 

Electronic Cigarette Use and Clinically Assessed Oral Mucosal Lesions in Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adults has risen rapidly over the past decade, prompting concern about potential adverse effects on oral health. Although the systemic consequences of e-cigarette exposure have been increasingly studied, effects on the oral mucosa remain less clearly defined. Existing investigations describe a range of oral mucosal findings, but reported outcomes and assessment methods are inconsistent, making it difficult to draw clear conclusions.

Objectives: To systematically review the available evidence examining the association between electronic cigarette use and oral mucosal lesions/alterations in adults, compared with non-users or other tobacco exposure groups.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus to identify original English-language studies evaluating oral mucosal outcomes in adult e-cigarette users. The PubMed search yielded n = 438 records, and the Scopus search yielded n = 509 records. Following duplicate removal, titles and abstracts were screened, and full texts were reviewed for eligibility. Inclusion criteria encompassed original human studies assessing oral mucosal lesions or clinically assessed mucosal alterations via oral examination, cytologic analysis, or histologic evaluation. Studies limited to biomarkers without mucosal assessment, animal models, and non-original articles were excluded. Eligible studies were synthesized qualitatively due to heterogeneity in outcomes and study designs.

Results: Six studies met inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Included studies consisted of cross-sectional analyses, comparative observational studies, and descriptive clinical reports. Outcomes evaluated across studies included clinically diagnosed oral mucosal lesions, cytologic and genotoxic alterations of buccal mucosal cells, and structural changes of oral or gingival mucosa. Comparator groups varied and included non-users, former smokers, and cigarette smokers. Outcome definitions and assessment methods varied substantially across studies.

Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that electronic cigarette use may be associated with clinically assessed oral mucosal lesions and mucosal alterations in adults. However, differences in exposure definitions, comparator groups, and outcome assessment methods limit the strength of these current conclusions. Further longitudinal and clinical studies using standardized oral mucosal evaluation criteria are needed to better define the oral health effects of electronic cigarette use.

https://ecommons.roseman.edu/researchsymposium/2026/clinical/20