Propylene glycol in vapes can inhibit oral bacteria and inflammation

How e-cigarettes affect oral health has always been a concern for users. A research paper released by the American Chemical Society recently pointed out that propylene glycol, the main component of e-cigarette liquid, can inhibit oral bacteria and the inflammation it induces. Smokers switching to e-cigarettes may effectively reduce the risk of oral diseases such as oral cancer.

American Chemical Society is one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, authorized by the U.S. Congress, with more than 150,000 members in 140 countries. Propylene glycol is mainly used to enhance the stability of electronic cigarette liquid, and researchers have found through a group of animal experiments that propylene glycol has a certain bacteriostatic effect.

Studies have shown that in a confined space, propylene glycol at a concentration of 0.5ppm can quickly kill Streptococcus pneumoniae, influenza virus and other microorganisms. With the increasing concentration, propylene glycol can also inhibit the growth of various pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans. Among them, Streptococcus mutans is an important factor leading to tooth decay, and Escherichia coli can cause gastrointestinal infections.

In order to further explore the impact of electronic cigarettes on the oral environment of the human body, the study selected 30 smokers and 30 electronic cigarette users respectively, and used the method of detecting the AP site (apurine pyrimidine site) of human oral cells for the first time-DNA Damage will form AP sites. The higher the level of AP sites, the more serious the DNA damage, the more likely it will lead to gene mutation and cancer.

The results showed that the level of AP loci in the DNA of the oral cells of e-cigarette users was 3.3/107nts, which was much lower than the 5.7/107nts of smokers. The gap is especially obvious in the 30-50-year-old age group. The AP site level of e-cigarette users in this group (3.0/107nts) is 1 times lower than that of smokers (6.0/107nts).

Does this mean that the oral environment will be improved after smokers switch to electronic cigarettes? The world-renowned SCI journal “Journal of Dental Research” has published relevant research papers in 2021. The results showed that smokers with oral diseases who switched to e-cigarettes had an improved periodontal environment regardless of whether the dentist provided treatment services.

“There are more than 700 kinds of bacteria in the mouth, and most of the patients with oral diseases are smokers.” R. Holliday, a British dental expert, said: “The comparative study of electronic cigarettes and cigarettes is very useful to us. I hope that dentists can put aside prejudice and make more understanding of the positive effects of e-cigarettes on the oral health of sick smokers.”