Warning - E-cigarettes and water pipe smoking could cause cancer

Highlighting World No Tobacco Day, the Australian Dental Association is targeting non-traditional forms of smoking and tobacco consumption.

Dr Peter Alldritt, Chair of ADA’s Oral Health Committee, said: “While tobacco consumption by Australians is decreasing, a building body of reports indicate that instead some Australians are ‘soft’ substituting through use of e-cigarettes sometimes referred to as vaping, and water pipe smoking (also known as hookah, argileh, hubbly bubbly, nargila, shisha and goza).

“However this ‘soft’ substitution is a double-edged sword ... water-pipe smokers of either tobacco or non-tobacco products face the same health risks as cigarette smokers, including cancers, heart disease, lung disease and problems in pregnancy such as low birth weight. This is because a water-pipe smoker may breathe in as much smoke during a typical one-hour session as a cigarette smoker would inhale from 100-200 cigarettes.”

Every day, at least three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer. Oral cancer is an aggressive disease which often goes undetected until it reaches an advanced stage, with a survival rate of only 50% over five years.

The signs and symptoms of oral cancer include:
• A sore, irritation, lump or thick patch in the mouth, lip, or throat
• A chronic ulcer or blood blister in the mouth that does not heal
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue
• Prolonged swollen glands
• A sore throat that does not go away
• Difficulty speaking, or a change in the voice
• Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth
• Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable.

World No Tobacco Day was established by the World Health Organisation.