Amid recent accounts of vaping-related deaths and illnesses currently being investigated by the CDC, both the Trump Administration and members of Congress are escalating their efforts to combat the youth vaping epidemic. On September 11th, the President announced that the FDA would be moving forward to finalize compliance policy that would take non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products off the market. This is a welcome development for many in Congress who feel the Administration has been too slow in its response to the youth vaping epidemic.
 
While several legislative proposals have emerged to combat youth vaping during this session of Congress, members have continued to press the issue through new legislation, hearings, and most recently on September 19th with the formation the Congressional Caucus To End The Youth Vaping Epidemic. AGD has endorsed the caucus along with many health-related groups, including the ADA and others from organized dentistry.
 
Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD continues to support efforts to end the youth e-cigarette use epidemic, and the recent outbreak of severe pulmonary disease linked to e-cigarette use highlights the importance of preventing the use of these products among the youth. These incidences of vaping related respiratory illnesses are also concerning given the widespread marketing of e-cigarette products as a relatively safe tobacco-use cessation tool.