VAPING for just three months can lead to gum disease and possibly cancer, experts have warned.

They say the heated and pressurised liquids in e-cigs create conditions in the mouth where dangerous microbes thrive.

They were found in the mouths of young capers who had never smoked.

Even smokers  had a worse oral profile after vaping for four months, the study of 123 found.

Prof Purnima Kumar, of The Ohio State University, claims the research counters the assumption that the process reduces the harm of smoking.

She said: If you stop smoking and start vaping instead, you don’t move back toward a healthy bacterial profile but shift up to the profile.

“Knowing the process’s  profile is pathogen-rich, you’re not doing yourself any favours by using this process  to quit smoking.”

“I’m not saying nicotine is good for you. But even without the nicotine, this process has a pretty large impact on the bacterial communities our bodies have regarded as friends.”

“I am hoping this research will drive some level of policymaking about the harm we are seeing.”