ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES: RISK OF DEVELOPING ORAL CANCER OR AN ALTERNATIVE TO HELP IN QUITTING SMOKING?

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes emerged strongly in the global market and, despite limited research on their adverse effects, were initially considered a less harmful substitute for conventional smoking. After just over 20 years since their global introduction, there has been a significant increase in studies involving users of these devices, focusing on their potentially oncogenic effects, including clinical cases of oral neoplasms attributed to their use, indicating a new public health concern. This integrative review conducted searches on MEDLINE, PubMed Central, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases, investigating cellular changes associated with the development of oral cancer in human users of electronic cigarettes. The PIO acronym guided the research: Population – electronic cigarette users; Intervention – analysis of cells from the oral cavity exclusively of these users; Outcome – genetic mutations or cellular alterations indicative of oral neoplasms related to use. From 493 publications found, after deduplication in Rayyan and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 articles were selected. Data analysis revealed that electronic cigarettes are not a suitable alternative to conventional cigarettes, as they predispose users to neoplastic development and increasingly affect a more vulnerable population, especially young people.