Abstract

The electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a nicotine-containing fluid for inhalation. Invented in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, the E-cigarette was developed as a substitute for tobacco cigarettes. The use of E-cigarettes continues to grow in popularity in most parts of the world, and many consider their use and the use of other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to be healthier than smoking tobacco cigarettes. There is a paucity of medical research, however, to support that notion. In particular, the impact of chronic use of E-cigarettes and ENDS has not been studied adequately. Herein, we report two cases of oral carcinoma associated with chronic use of E-cigarettes. These highlight the need for increased awareness of this important, and potentially fatal, risk. Physicians, dentists and other health care providers must be made aware and should consider regularly-scheduled, comprehensive oral examinations of their patients that regularly use Ecigarettes or ENDS. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collects adverse effect and safety data at their Safety Reporting Portal for Tobacco Products (https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/ PublicHealthScienceResearch). Adverse effects suspected to be related to the use of E-cigarettes or ENDS should be reported to the FDA or to analogous regulatory governances in other countries.

Keywords: E-cigarette; Electronic cigarette; Electronic nicotine delivery systems; ENDS; Oral carcinoma; Oral cancer; Squamous cell carcinoma