WHAT ARE ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES
- Invented in China by pharmacist Hon Lik, who patented it in 2003.
- A mechanism that heats up liquid nicotine, turning it into vapor that the “smoker” inhales and exhales.
- Re-usable
- Nicotine-free options
- Users coined themselves “vapers” instead of “smokers”
HOW DO THEY WORK
- User inhales through a mouthpiece
- Air flow triggers a sensor that switches on a small, battery-powered heater
- Heater vaporizes liquid nicotine in a small cartridge – light is activated
- Heater also vaporizes propylene glycol (PEG) in the cartridge
- User gets a puff of hot gas that feels like tobacco smoke
- User exhales a cloud of PEG vapor that looks like smoke.
CONCERNS FOR OUR ORAL AND OVERALL HEALTH
PROS OF E-CIGS
· Conventional cigarettes have 10x higher the amount of nicotine than e-cigs
· Does not contain tobacco
· Does not cause Halitosis (bad breath)
· No yellow teeth
· Less calculus
CONS OF E-CIGS
- Not regulated by the FDA
- Potential stepping stone for teens
- More chemicals are inhaled
- Allows less blood to flow through the veins
ROLE OF THE DENTAL HYGIENIST
- Find out the reason why your patients are using e-cigarettes
- Educate patients on the risks of using an e-cigarette that contains nicotine
- Explain to patients the questionable ingredients in e-cigarettes. eg, Diethyl Glycol, Nitrosamine
- We do not recommend patients to use e-cigarettes. But if patients still want to try it, we can give them suggestion to choose and select the appropriate and safe e-cigarette:
Nicotine level
Quality batteries
Ease of use
Multiple charging options
à Customer service
