Comparison between the Effect of Conventional Cigarette and Electronic Cigarette in Oral Mucosa

Background: Controlling Oral Cavity Carcinoma increase poses significant challenge due to Cigarette smoke. Therefore, Electronic cigarettes-a battery-operated device-are preferred as an alternative to traditional cigarettes to quit smoking [1]. This study evaluate the effect of e-cigarette use for smoking cessation by studying cytological changes of oral mucosa among Electronic Cigarette smokers and compare it with traditional smokers. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 volunteers selected from different areas in Saudi Arabia during study period. Among them 35 were e-cigarette smokers, 35 were smokers and 30 were non-smokers as control group. Data were collected by questionnaire and the collected oral smear were subjected to Papanicolaou stain and microscopically analyzed for studying cytological alterations. Results: Cytological changes were detected among smokers and e-cigarette smokers; keratinization (2%, 2% respectively), inflammation (22%, 19% respectively), and bacterial infection (7%, 11% respectively). Also, atypia was occurred only in Conventional smoker with 2%. Conclusion: E-cigarette cause cytological changes in oral mucosa similar to the other risk factors including cigarette smokers, which contribute to the development of oral cavity carcinoma.