April is oral cancer awareness month, and at Dr. Messina's practice we think there's never been a better time to discuss important risk factors that affect our oral and overall health in a big way. Today on the blog, let's take a deep dive into a popular topic especially among young people today: vaping vs smoking cigarettes.
Teenagers in the United States have cut down significantly on their use of traditional cigarettes over the last 20-30 years. In 1991, around 7 in 10 teens were cigarette smokers, but by 2017 that number had dropped closer to 3 in 10.
And while we are encouraged to see young people becoming increasingly savvy to the dangers of smoking cigarettes, American teens seem to have largely latched onto the newest fad of "vaping," or smoking e-cigarettes, instead.
It is becoming evident that vaping hold an appeal for teens and even preteens across the country. Results of national surveys show 1 in 4 high school or middle school students is using an e-cigarette every day.
Teens and preteens often turn to vaping instead of cigarette smoking because it seems safer and less addictive, but it is not. The risks of vaping include those long-associated with nicotine, such as lung injury, and also those associated with the host of other chemicals both known and unknown found in e-cigarettes.
Nicotine
Often times, people who vape don't realize that, like cigarettes, vaping fluid can contain nicotine. And also like cigarettes, the nicotine in e-cigarette liquid is highly addictive. In some cases, vaping can even become a gateway to smoking cigarettes.
In addition to being a gateway to addiction, nicotine has been proven to affect the developing brain. Exposure to nicotine, especially before a person reaches their mid-20s, can affect our ability to pay attention, retain information or remember events clearly, or even learn new things.
Detecting the presence of nicotine in e-cigarettes can be difficult and is less regulated than it should be. Some vaping liquids that are labeled as having no nicotine have in fact been found to contain nicotine. And other liquids are labeled as containing nicotine at surprisingly high levels. One brand was found to have the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes in one vape pod intended to be used in a single day!
Associated lung injury
In the summer of 2019, a lung infection termed 'E-cigarette, or Vaping Product, Use Associated Lung Injury' (EVALI) was steeply on the rise among people who reported using vaping products within the last three months. By February 2020, more than 2,800 hospitalizations and 68 deaths due to this lung infection had been reported across the United States. Diagnosing EVALI can be challenging for physicians because symptoms associated with this lung condition are similar to those of other respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia or even the seasonal flu virus.
Signs and symptoms of EVALI can include:
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Fever and chills
- Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rapid and shallow breathing
If you have a history of e-cigarette use and experience one or more of these symptoms, the doctors at Yale Medicine who are on the forefront of research into EVALI recommend seeing your provider for a workup to include pulse oximetry, a chest X-ray or CT scan, and maybe bloodwork to rule out other causes.
Other chemicals
The liquids that are used during vaping can contain hundreds to thousands of different chemicals, many of which become harmful when heated and can even cause various forms of cancer, such as lung and blood cancer. More permanent breathing problems such as COPD and emphysema have also been linked to e-cigarette use. While the scientific community is still studying the long-term harmful effects of vaping, the fluids inhaled in e-cigarettes have been shown to contain metals that can damage the brain, liver, kidneys, and other organs.
The Final Word on Vaping
Millions of Americans have taken up vaping in an attempt to avoid the known dangers of cigarette smoking. But quality research continues to come out indicating that vaping may be even more dangerous than smoking cigarettes, and this is hardly a safe alternative. If you are vaping and want to quit, you can talk to Dr. Messina or your physician about ways to stop for good. Our team is here to support your efforts toward oral and overall health for you and your family.
We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!