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Effect of IQOS aerosol on the colour of teeth is significantly lower
Cigarette smoke causes tooth discolouration, while in the long run, smoking contributes to serious gum, dental and oral diseases. However, not all tobacco products affect teeth in the same manner.
Researched effects of aerosol on teeth
A smoker’s teeth are exposed to thousands of chemicals on a daily basis that form when a cigarette is burning. The main reason why a smoker’s teeth will darken over time is considered to be the pigments that are formed as the tobacco burns.
When tobacco is heated with the IQOS system, it emits an aerosol that has a completely different composition from cigarette smoke and contains 95% fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes.1
A study in Switzerland found that the aerosol emitted when using IQOS had a significantly lower effect on the teeth colour2 compared to cigarette smoke.
Opinions of IQOS users on oral hygiene
Consumers who have switched to IQOS claim that the heated tobacco leaves a less unpleasant aftertaste in their mouth and fresher breath compared to smoking a cigarette.3
Important information: Switching to IQOS will not help restore teeth that have already darkened in colour.
How was the study conducted?
The aim of this non-clinical laboratory study was to investigate and compare the effects of heated tobacco aerosol and regular cigarette smoke on the colour of teeth. The study also looked at whether these products could cause differences between the colour of the teeth and the colour of filling materials, in cases where the teeth were filled.
The study examined a number of teeth removed during orthodontic surgeries. During the study, some of the teeth were exposed to heated tobacco aerosol, while another group of teeth were exposed to cigarette smoke. At the end of the three-week study, the effects of the heated tobacco aerosol and cigarette smoke on the colour of the teeth and fillings were compared.
Oral health and a reduction of tobacco
Burning tobacco emits smoke that contains many harmful chemicals, which pose a risk to oral health. Completely giving up tobacco products is the best way to reduce the risk of tobacco-related diseases. However, smokers who do not intend to quit smoking could reduce this risk by switching to smokeless alternatives.
This does not necessarily mean that the risk is reduced by 95%. IQOS is not a risk-free product. The nicotine in heated tobacco products is addictive.
More news coming soon.
1”95% less” means the average reduction in a wide range of harmful substances (other than nicotine) compared to the substances in regular cigarette smoke (3R4F).
2 A non-clinical laboratory study was conducted in Switzerland to investigate the effects of aerosol and smoke on human teeth and fillings. Contrary to real conditions, the study did not examine other colourants, such as coffee or wine, which may have affected the results of the study.
3 Data from online surveys conducted by a research company in 2015, 2016, 2017 with 3344 IQOS users in Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Romania and Russia, as well as data from online surveys conducted by a research company in 2016 and 2017 with 3157 IQOS users in Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Romania and Spain.