Erosive potential of commonly available vapes: a cause for concern?

Introduction:
This text is a research article written by Dr. Ruth Fairchild and Dr. anita Setarehnejad from the Cardiff School of Sport and health Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University. The article focuses on the erosive potential of commonly available vapes, which is an important consideration for dental health. The authors analyze flavored vapes with potentially low ph, including fruit and drink flavors.

Key Points:

* The study measured the ph of 45 purposefully selected vapes, undiluted in triplicate.
* 84% of the undiluted vape samples had a ph below 5.5, indicating erosive potential.
* Erosive potential was not predicted by the flavor, with orange and cola samples higher than anticipated.
* Products that were predicted to be non-acidic, such as vanilla, showed considerable variation ranging from ph 4.69 -5.63.
* Freshly opened or stored samples did not reach a non-erosive potential ph of 5.5 or above, even when diluted.
* Labels were not detailed enough to ascertain which ingredients were contributing to acidity or buffering capacity.
* The study concludes that present labelling of commercially available vapes does not allow consumers to ascertain the erosive potential and possible dental damage that may be inflicted by their use.

Main Message:
The main message of this research article is that the present labelling standards of commercially available vapes do not allow consumers to ascertain the potential erosive potential and possible dental damage that may be inflicted by their use. Therefore, the authors suggest that all vapes should carry specific oral-health warnings regarding possible cariogenic and possibly erosive risk. The health warnings on vapes should be standardized and enforced in a similar manner to traditional tobacco products, irrespective of nicotine content. The study highlights the need for more research to establish if at normal vape dilutions any of the flavored vapes reach a ph above the erosive potential.

Fairchild R, Setarehnejad a. Erosive potential of commonly available vapes: a cause for concern? British dental journal. 2021;231(8):487-491. doi:10.1038/s41415-021-3563-1