Safety of E-cigarettes and its effectiveness in smoking cessation: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, the main goal of our study is to analyze the safety of e-cigarettes and their relationship to quitting smoking. Materials and Methods: From January 2011 to December 2022, a thorough search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was carried out. Using PRISMA criteria, we evaluated 25 review papers, three randomized controlled trials, and three cross-sectional studies in this review, which analyzed 12,210 study participants. Although language did not restrict search results, all discovered studies were in English. The threat of bias and level of evidence were determined for each selected study. Results: Our systematic review showed a bigger rate of smoking cessation, i.e., 20%, with the use of E-cigarettes, suggestive of their contribution to smoking cessation. We found a correlation between cessation of smoking and E-cigarettes with nicotine, which suggests that they may prove as an effective alternative smoking cessation aid. The count of cigarettes used per day is lessened, so they may be used to reduce the harm caused by tobacco. Conclusion: Although not formally monitored, E-cigarettes can help smokers unable or unwilling to quit to remain abstinent or reduce their cigarette consumption. The toxic substances and chemicals within E-cigarettes are not clearly labeled, and hence, their safety is not guaranteed.