What’s new among the growing number of reasons to quit vaping? Your oral health.

New research highlights the negative effect of vaping on oral health. Recent studies indicate that the impacts of vaping begin right when the toxins enter in the mouth. Dentists are concerned about the long-term effects that e-cigarette use can have on oral health, as they report seeing dental issues such as gum disease in younger patients. Vaping can also cause additional concerns including dry mouth and oral cancer and lead to decreased blood flow to the gums, which is associated with nicotine use.

Oral health professionals are seeing a trend in young people getting addicted to vaping products and finding it hard to quit. This may be attributed to the flavors used in vaping products, causing youth to begin use at a young age, and later struggling with addictions to nicotine from e-cigarette use. Research shows that nearly 45% of teens who vape want to quit. Providing supports for cessation to help teens quit vaping has a positive impact on their oral and overall health. In addition, repealing the statewide tobacco pre-emption law will increase local decision making to further restrict youth tobacco and e-cigarette use and improve community health.

Looking to quit? Check out these tobacco cessation programs:

  • The Kentucky Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program offers several free resources for Kentuckians who want to quit using tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vapes, cigars and dip, chew and other forms of smokeless tobacco.
  • 1-800-QUIT-NOW, Kentucky’s Tobacco Quitline, offers one-on-one coaching for tobacco users who are ready to quit. Learn more at www.quitnowkentucky.org.
  • Aspire is a teen-savvy online tobacco prevention and cessation program for middle and high school students. The self-paced program features original videos, animation and games; testimonies from peers, doctors, smokers and non-smokers; information on short- and long-term health consequences of tobacco; tips and resources to avoid the temptation to smoke or to stop smoking.