Evidence grows for vaping's role in gum disease
Research confirms unique community of bacteria and immune responses among people who use e-cigarettes

Date:
February 22, 2022
Source:
New York University
Summary:
New studies highlight how e-cigarettes alter oral health and may
be contributing to gum disease. The latest research finds that
e-cigarette users have a unique oral microbiome that is less healthy
than nonsmokers but potentially healthier than cigarette smokers,
and measures worsening gum disease over time.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A series of new studies by researchers at NYU College of Dentistry
highlights how e-cigarettes alter oral health and may be contributing to
gum disease. The latest, published in mBio, finds that e-cigarette users
have a unique oral microbiome -- the community of bacteria and other microorganisms -- that is less healthy than nonsmokers but potentially healthier than cigarette smokers, and measures worsening gum disease
over time.


==========================================================================
"To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of oral health
and e- cigarette use. We are now beginning to understand how e-cigarettes
and the chemicals they contain are changing the oral microbiome and
disrupting the balance of bacteria," said Deepak Saxena, who led the
research with Xin Li; both are professors of molecular pathobiology at
NYU College of Dentistry.

Gum disease affects nearly half of U.S. adults over 30 years of
age. Smoking cigarettes is a known risk factor for developing gum disease,
but less is known about the impact of e-cigarettes -- which vaporize
nicotine and other chemicals -- on oral health, especially the long-term consequences of vaping.

The researchers studied the oral health of 84 adults from three groups: cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and people who have never
smoked. Gum disease was assessed through two dental exams six months
apart, during which plaque samples were taken to analyze the bacteria
present.

Changes to gum health All participants had some gum disease at the start
of the study, with cigarette smokers having the most severe disease,
followed by e-cigarette users. After six months, the researchers observed
that gum disease had worsened in some participants in each group,
including several e-cigarette users.



==========================================================================
A key indicator of gum disease is clinical attachment loss, measured
by gum ligament and tissue separating from a tooth's surface, leading
the gum to recede and form pockets. These pockets are breeding grounds
for bacteria and can lead to more severe gum disease. In a study of the
same participants published in Frontiers in Oral Health, the research
team found that clinical attachment loss was significantly worse only
in the e-cigarette smokers -- not non-smokers and cigarette smokers --
after six months.

A unique microbiome The researchers then analyzed the bacteria found in
the plaque samples and determined that e-cigarette users have a different
oral microbiome from smokers and nonsmokers -- building on findings the
team previously reported in iScience and Molecular Oral Microbiology.

While all groups shared roughly a fifth of the types of bacteria, the
bacterial makeup for e-cigarette users had strikingly more in common with cigarette smokers than nonsmokers. Several types of bacteria, including Selenomonas, Leptotrichia,and Saccharibacteria, were abundant in both
smokers and vapers compared to nonsmokers. Several other bacteria
-- including Fusobacterium and Bacteroidales, which are known to be
associated with gum disease -- were particularly dominant in the mouths
of e-cigarette users.

When plaque samples were gathered and analyzed in the six-month follow-up,
the researchers found greater diversity in bacteria for all groups
studied, yet each group maintained its own distinct microbiome.



========================================================================== "Vaping appears to be driving unique patterns in bacteria and influencing
the growth of some bacteria in a manner akin to cigarette smoking,
but with its own profile and risks to oral health," said Fangxi Xu, a
junior research scientist in Saxena's lab and the study's co-first author.

An altered immune response The researchers found that the distinct
microbiome in e-cigarette users was correlated with clinical measures of
gum disease and changes to the host immune environment. In particular,
vaping was associated with different levels of cytokines -- proteins
that help regulate the immune system. Certain cytokines are linked to an imbalance in oral bacteria and can worsen gum disease by making people
prone to inflammation and infection.

TNFa, a cytokine that causes inflammation, was significantly elevated
among e- cigarette users. In contrast, cytokines IL-4 and IL-1b were
lower among e- cigarette users; IL-4 tends to be reduced in people with
gum disease and increases after treatment, which suggests that certain
bacteria in the mouths of e-cigarette users may be actively suppressing
immune responses.

The researchers concluded that the distinct oral microbiome of e-cigarette users elicits altered immune responses, which along with clinical markers
for gum disease illustrate how vaping presents its own challenge to
oral health.

"E-cigarette use is a relatively new human habit," said Scott Thomas,
an assistant research scientist in Saxena's lab and the study's co-first author.

"Unlike smoking, which has been studied extensively for decades,
we know little about the health consequences of e-cigarette use and
are just starting to understand how the unique microbiome promoted by
vaping impacts oral health and disease." This research was supported
by the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (DE025992, DE027074), the National Cancer Institute (CA206105), and the NYU
Mega-Grants Initiative. The study included additional collaborators
from NYU College of Dentistry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by New_York_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal References:
1. Scott C. Thomas, Fangxi Xu, Smruti Pushalkar, Ziyan Lin, Nirali
Thakor,
Mridula Vardhan, Zia Flaminio, , Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Rebeca
Vasconcelos, Adenike Akapo, Erica Queiroz, Maria Bederoff, Malvin N.

Janal, Yuqi Guo, Deanna Aguallo, Terry Gordon, Patricia M. Corby,
Angela R. Kamer, Xin Li, Deepak Saxena. Electronic Cigarette Use
Promotes a Unique Periodontal Microbiome. mBio, Feb. 22, 2022;
DOI: 10.1128/ mbio.00075-22
2. Fangxi Xu, Eman Aboseria, Malvin N. Janal, Smruti Pushalkar,
Maria V.

Bederoff, Rebeca Vasconcelos, Sakshi Sapru, Bidisha Paul, Erica
Queiroz, Shreya Makwana, Julia Solarewicz, Yuqi Guo, Deanna Aguallo,
Claudia Gomez, Donna Shelly, Yindalon Aphinyanaphongs, Terry Gordon,
Patricia M.

Corby, Angela R. Kamer, Xin Li, Deepak Saxena. Comparative
Effects of E- Cigarette Aerosol on Periodontium of
Periodontitis Patients. Frontiers in Oral Health, 2021; 2 DOI:
10.3389/froh.2021.729144
3. Smruti Pushalkar, Bidisha Paul, Qianhao Li, Jian Yang, Rebeca
Vasconcelos, Shreya Makwana, Juan Mun~oz Gonza'lez, Shivm Shah,
Chengzhi Xie, Malvin N. Janal, Erica Queiroz, Maria Bederoff,
Joshua Leinwand, Julia Solarewicz, Fangxi Xu, Eman Aboseria, Yuqi
Guo, Deanna Aguallo, Claudia Gomez, Angela Kamer, Donna Shelley,
Yindalon Aphinyanaphongs, Cheryl Barber, Terry Gordon, Patricia
Corby, Xin Li, Deepak Saxena.

Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Modulates the Oral Microbiome and
Increases Risk of Infection. iScience, 2020; 23 (3): 100884 DOI:
10.1016/ j.isci.2020.100884
4. Fangxi Xu, Smruti Pushalkar, Ziyan Lin, Scott C. Thomas, Julia
Kishanie
Persaud, Maria A Sierra, Mridula Vardhan, Rebeca Vasconcelos,
Adenike Akapo, Yuqi Guo, Terry Gordon, Patricia M Corby, Angela
R. Kamer, Xin Li, Deepak Saxena. Electronic cigarette use enriches
periodontal pathogens.

Molecular Oral Microbiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1111/omi.12361 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220222151907.htm

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