The American Dental Association’s stance on tobacco and nicotine products
Decades of research show that smoking and smokeless tobacco products are harmful to dental health. This is true whether people smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookahs (water pipes) or use chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products. All of these products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and known to affect brain development in children, teens and young adults.
The American Dental Association (ADA) has adopted policies relating to products that contain nicotine, including e-cigarettes. Our policies call for dentists to be fully aware of the health risks that come with tobacco use, including higher rates of tooth decay, gum disease, bone damage, tooth loss and more. Dentists are encouraged to screen patients for nicotine use — including tobacco and non-tobacco products — and provide counseling to help people quit.
The ADA is also concerned that marketing some nicotine delivery methods (such as vaping) as if they were less harmful than others is not a viable strategy for preventing deaths and disease caused by tobacco use.
View current ADA policies relating to nicotine and tobacco use here.