Research on the safety risk of oral nicotine products and its prospects

Oral nicotine products are a category of novel tobacco products that deliver nicotine through oral consumption. With increasing tobacco control measures worldwide and growing public health awareness, its safety risk has gained attention. However, the regulatory authorities still lack long-term data for oral nicotine products and limited data on additives, so the continued in-depth research is required in the future. By integrating data from chemical analyses, animal/cell studies, and human cohorts, this review first introduces the main commercially available oral nicotine products and their classifications, analyzes the potentially harmful substances and their concentrations, and then systematically elucidates the health effects of oral nicotine products (including on oral and cardiovascular systems) and their underlying mechanisms. Finally, based on relevant research, it proposes future directions for safety risk studies on oral nicotine products. In summary, this review offers consumers a clearer understanding of the safety risks of oral nicotine products, provides evidence to support their rational use, and delivers insights for companies and regulators to develop effective policies and reduce health risks.