Electronic and conventional cigarette use were each significantly associated with increased periodontal disease rates. - GreenMedInfo Summary

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the association of conventional cigarette smoking and electronic cigarette vaping with periodontal disease in South Korean adults.

METHODS: For this study, data from 13,551 participants, a subset derived from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2013 and 2015, were examined. Participants were divided into four categories: electronic cigarettes vapers, conventional cigarettes smokers, ex-users, and non-users. Periodontal status was measured by the Community Periodontal Index. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of periodontal disease with smoking and vaping individually.

RESULTS: Out of 187 men and 35 women who vape electronic cigarette, 67 (35.8%) men and 10 (28.6%) women had periodontal diseases. Out of 1,957 men and 363 women who smoke conventional cigarettes, 861 (44.0%) men and 121 (35.3%) women had periodontal diseases. Periodontal disease was more prevalent in each vapers and smokers than non-users in men (electronic cigarettes: OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.52-3.59, conventional cigarettes: OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.76-2.68). Furthermore, both vaping and smoking had significant relation to dental caries, toothache, and dental damages.

CONCLUSIONS: Electronic and conventional cigarette use were each significantly associated with increased periodontal disease rates. After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics, both vaping and smoking each had significant association with periodontal diseases. Therefore, this study suggests that vaping may not be a safe alternative to smoking. Cessation of both types of cigarettes is necessary for maintaining oral health. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.