A review of 10 studies found that e-cigarette users more often showed signs of periodontal damage than non-smokers, although conventional smoking was associated with more pronounced harm.
Indian researchers selected 10 studies from 379 scientific papers published between 2015 and 2025. The studies compared oral health among e-cigarette users, conventional smokers and people who do not use tobacco.
E-cigarette users more often showed deeper periodontal pockets, loss of tissue attachment to teeth and greater plaque accumulation. Some studies also found changes in inflammatory markers.
The most pronounced periodontal destruction was generally seen among conventional cigarette smokers. Results varied across the studies, however, so the authors could not precisely determine the potential harm from vaping.
The review was published in Frontiers in Dental Medicine. Its authors pointed to a possible association between e-cigarette use and adverse periodontal changes compared with not smoking. They said the available evidence is not yet sufficient to measure the scale of the risk precisely.