Study on Vape’s Adverse Effects on Teeth Debunked
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A claim in the British Dental Journal that found vaping to cause tooth damage was made by two food science lecturers at the Cardiff Metropolitan University School of Sport and Health Science. That study has now been shown to be rife with errors.
A letter has since been published in the British Dental Journal by Newcastle University vaping and dentistry experts Richard Holliday, Elaine McColl, Anthony Weke and Zella Sayeed debunking the claims out of Cardiff.
The four wrote they “were disappointed to see several basic errors and misrepresentations” and went onto correct five major errors in the “erosive potential of vaping” paper.
Newcastle’s experts say the study authors cite a World Health Organization poster and incorrectly claim that nicotine causes a “high risk of oral and whole-body health complications.”
In reality, nicotine has been used in the form of NRT for over 30 years, including in pregnant women, and is regarded as extremely safe, even for long-term use, according to Scoop.
Also significantly, the authors wrongly claim that e-cigarettes are associated with cancer. The supporting reference does not make this claim and instead states “no long-term evidence related to oral and systemic health effects exist.”
The Newcastle experts then “point UK dental professionals to the well-considered public health guidance which basically concludes that, for the best chances of quitting smoking, one should use support and pharmacotherapy and that e-cigarettes can be part of that package.”
Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), said the food science lecturers’ biggest mistake was “one made by so many – that is talking up the WHO’s anti-vaping stance” as the official public health position.
“Tellingly, all UK public bodies, including the NHS, ignore the WHO’s advice. They support vaping, knowing it does not erode teeth nor lead to gum disease,” said Loucas. “Once again science and human evidence have trumped another untenable ideological lie about vaping.”