New report on e-cigarettes welcomed by leading dental charity
A new report has revealed that e-cigarettes have become an incredibly popular means of cutting down and quitting smoking altogether. They have also been found to be significantly less harmful to health than both tobacco and traditional cigarettes, news which has been well received by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF).
The independent review has suggested that using e-cigarettes is less damaging to a person’s health than smoking a regular cigarette or tobacco product; however, it also suggests that there is no evidence to imply that the availability of the product has increased the amount of people smoking, as although there have been suggestions that e-cigarettes may actually encourage people to start smoking in the first place, particularly younger people, the report claims that these accusations are unsubstantiated.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, has welcomed the latest report on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a quitting aid for smokers. The Chief Executive of the UK’s leading dental charity stated that it is encouraging to see that many people in the UK are able to quit smoking as a result of the introduction of e-cigarettes; however, he continued to say that more needs to be done to further encourage people to stop smoking, and reduce the commonness of the habit in the coming years.
Dr Carter highlighted the risks associated with smoking, which include an increased risk of developing gum disease and oral cancer, which affects around 7,000 people in the UK every year.
The BDHF is committed to raising awareness of the relationship between smoking and oral health, and although there is still a long way to go to achieving the goal of a smoke-free Britain, the latest signs are encouraging, and the charity welcomes the results of this research.
