Aerosol from potentially reduced-risk products (PRRPs) such as vapor and tobacco heating products (THPs) cause significantly less staining to tooth enamel as well as to skin, cloth, and wallpaper than the smoke from conventional cigarettes, scientists from British American Tobacco reported at the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland.
PRRPs don’t involve combustion. The vapor and aerosol they produce are less complex and include significantly lower levels of certain toxicants compared to cigarette smoke, British American Tobacco says. Also, vaping devices and THPs don’t produce a sidestream aerosol, resulting in less odor on users’ hands and clothes and less environmental exposure for bystanders compared to conventional cigarettes.
British American Tobacco’s scientists assessed the impact or aerosols from PRRPs in a series of studies involving a reference cigarette (3R4F), a THP (the company’s glo), and two vapor products. They used a variety of materials including bovine enamel blocks, porcine skin samples, and wallpaper samples to assess staining.
To mimic oral conditions, the enamel blocks were incubated with saliva to allow the formation of a pellicle layer, a protective protein film normally present on teeth. The blocks then were assessed before, during, and after exposure using a standard technique for assessing toothpaste or teeth-whitening agents.
According to British American Tobacco, exposure to aerosols from vapor products and THPs did not cause staining on the enamel or on the skin or wallpaper samples, with levels of staining comparable to untreated controls. British American Tobacco notes that the tar in cigarette smoke is what discolors tooth enamel.
“A lack of combustion and significantly reduced emissions from glo as compared to conventional cigarettes mean there is less material to deposit and odor to linger. Again, this reflects consideration for others by those using the glo product,” said John McAughey, British American Tobacco’s principal scientist for aerosol science.
British American Tobacco says that these results show that switching completely from cigarettes to vapor products or THPs may offer cosmetic and social benefits for consumers.
“The data generated from this study clearly show that the vapor product and THP assessed caused minimal discoloration—very promising for consumers,” said senior scientist Annette Dalrymple. “However, further studies are required to understand the long-term effect on teeth staining and oral health when smokers switch to using PRRPs.”
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