Patients are asking about e-cigarettes. What do we tell them?

Provides an overview of what e-cigarettes are and who is using them. Considers the safety, quality and efficacy of e-cigarettes. Outlines the current and proposed legislation on e-cigarettes. Suggests advice for health professionals to give patients about e-cigarettes. Lists the questions to consider when deciding whether to permit or prohibit use of e-cigarettes on premises. Abstract E-cigarettes are electronic devices that deliver vaporised nicotine liquid into the lungs. Since the introduction of e-cigarettes in 2004, the market in the UK has rapidly expanded and increasingly people are asking health professionals about them. This article gives an overview of e-cigarettes, their use, their regulatory status and evidence for their safety, quality and efficacy. Advice about e-cigarettes for dental health professionals to give patients is provided, as well as the five questions, proposed by Action on Smoking and Health, to consider when deciding whether to permit or prohibit use of e-cigarettes on premises.