ArticlePeerJ2018
Effects of tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette vapor exposure on the oral and gut microbiota in humans: a pilot study.
Article in PeerJ, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 82 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between self-reported vaping and the human oral microbiome: a systematic review.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of Electronic Cigarette Use on the Oral Microbiota: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical periodontology · 2026Pooled it
- The Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide and Hypertension Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2020Pooled it
- Subgingival Microbiome in Young Adult Cigarette Smokers, E-Cigarette Users, and Non-Smokers.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Cigarette smoke extract exposure induces gut microbial dysbiosis and impairs short-chain fatty acid metabolism in juvenile rats.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Multisystem Toxicity of E-Cigarettes in Preclinical and Clinical Studies: Pathophysiologic Effects of E-Cigarette Aerosol Exposures from Head to Toe.Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology · 2026Review
- Review
- Yogurt reintroduction and the circulating microbiome in healthy volunteers: protocol for a prospective, longitudinal, species-controlled crossover clinical trial (MAMI).Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- Impact of electronic cigarette use on the oral microbiome: a protocol for a systematic review of clinical studies.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Cigarette Smoking: A Modifiable Environmental Factor in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.JMA journal · 2025Review
- The Bidirectional Interplay Between Substances of Abuse and Gut Microbiome Homeostasis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Review
- Potential roles of cigarette smoking on gut microbiota profile among Chinese men.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- Gut Microbiota at the Crossroad of Hepatic Oxidative Stress and MASLD.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Bacteriological Identification, Characterization and Changes of Feces Microbiome in Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy.Cancer management and research · 2025Article
- Understanding dysbiosis and resilience in the human gut microbiome: biomarkers, interventions, and challenges.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Gut microbiota heterogeneity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a narrative review of drivers, mechanisms, and clinical relevance.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Oral health risks in adults who use electronic nicotine delivery systems and oral nicotine pouches: a critical review of the literature and qualitative synthesis of the available evidence.Harm reduction journal · 2024Review
- Interplay of Oxidative Stress, Gut Microbiota, and Nicotine in Metabolic-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Metabolites in the Dance: Deciphering Gut-Microbiota-Mediated Metabolic Reprogramming of the Breast Tumor Microenvironment.Cancers · 2024Review
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has increased drastically over the past five years, primarily as an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. However, the adverse effects of acute and long-term use of ECs on the microbiota have not been explored. In this pilot study, we sought to determine if ECs or tobacco smoking alter the oral and gut microbiota in comparison to non-smoking controls.
methodsWe examined a human cohort consisting of 30 individuals: 10 EC users, 10 tobacco smokers, and 10 controls. We collected cross-sectional fecal, buccal swabs, and saliva samples from each participant. All samples underwent V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
resultsTobacco smoking had a significant effect on the bacterial profiles in all sample types when compared to controls, and in feces and buccal swabs when compared to EC users. The most significant associations were found in the gut, with an increased relative abundance of DISCUSSION: From a microbial ecology perspective, the current pilot data demonstrate that the use of ECs may represent a safer alternative compared to tobacco smoking. However, validation in larger cohorts and greater understanding of the short and long-term impact of EC use on microbiota composition and function is warranted.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.