A few months of vaping puts healthy people on the brink of oral disease

The collection of oral bacteria in daily e-cigarette users' mouths is teeming with potent infection-causing organisms that put vapers at substantial risk for ailments ranging from gum disease to cancer, researchers found.

Though they didn't have active disease, participants' oral bacteria composition resembled that of people with periodontitis, a gum infection that can lead to tooth loss and, left untreated, is a risk factor for heart and lung disease.

The damaging effects were seen with or without nicotine, leading the scientists to believe that the heated and pressurised liquids in e-cigarette cartridges are likely the key culprit in transforming vapers' mouths into a welcoming home for a dangerous combination of microbes.