Why Dentists – And Parents – Should Still be Paying Attention to Teen Vaping

For the better part of the last two years, one public health crisis has rightly dominated the headlines and our attention. But that doesn’t mean other public health crises have gone away — they’ve just receded to the background. The teen vaping epidemic is an important example of this, and one that directly impacts the oral and overall health of teens across Massachusetts and the country.
 

Here is what’s at stake, and what dentists and parents alike should know, as we work together to curb the vaping epidemic, while still in the midst of a global pandemic.
 
Disposable e-cigarettes are the new, rising trend
 
While we saw some limited regulations around flavored e-cigarettes in 2019 that got a lot of attention, it’s clear this has not been enough to limit usage, and new trends continue to take hold. The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that almost 85% of the more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes used flavored e-cigarettes in 2021. And use of disposable e-cigarettes in particular skyrocketed, with an increase in usage of 100% for high schoolers and 400% for middle schoolers.
 
The trends, particularly the use of disposables, are very concerning and show we still have a lot of work to do — especially when you consider the highly addictive nature of nicotine and its effect on teenage brains.
 
Vaping has direct, serious impacts on oral health
 
When discussing the impacts of teen vaping and nicotine, the focus is often on brain development, but oral health is also a serious concern. It’s one of the reasons why Delta Dental of Massachusetts has partnered with CATCH My Breath to provide its anti-vaping curriculum statewide, which includes the intersection of vaping, cigarettes and oral health.
 
Common oral health side effects of vaping include burns or mouth sores, dry mouth, bad breath, swollen gums, and tooth decay. E-cigarette devices have also been known to explode, which can lead to significant oral trauma, ranging from broken teeth to broken jaw bones.
 
“We do focus a lot on nicotine and addiction effects on the brain, but oral health is significantly affected from vaping e-cigarettes,” says Marcella Bianco, program director for CATCH My Breath. “That’s why we’re so fortunate to be able to partner with Delta Dental to provide supplemental programming for middle and high school students to learn about vaping’s effects on oral health, because I do think there is a misconception and students don’t understand the oral health impacts yet, and we’re starting to really see those effects now.”
 
Anti-vaping curriculum works, and dentists can play a role
 
The good news is, we know that CATCH My Breath’s anti-vaping and cessation programs for teens are making a difference. A January 2020 peer-reviewed study demonstrated the program’s effectiveness and was published in Public Health Reports, the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General. Even during the pandemic, CATCH My Breath has been able to reach thousands of students and worked with schools across Massachusetts to provide its programming virtually.
 
For dentists, CATCH My Breath’s Bianco suggests that the most important thing any provider can do is know the signs of vaping, ask the question — Do you use nicotine products? — in a non-judgemental way, and provide information and credible resources to help.
 
CATCH My Breath provides a range of resources and information for parents, dentists, educators, and teens on its website catchmybreath.org.
 
Additional resources, including nationally recognized cessation programs, include: