Swedish dentists recommend nicotine pouches with integrated gum protection

Swedish dentists test new snus technology

20 out of the 23 dentists that have tested Stingfree nicotine pouches recommend Stingfree to patients that suffer from irritated gums and/or oral mucosal snus lesions, and that are unable or unwilling to cease using snus or nicotine pouches. Stingfree nicotine pouches are the world's only nicotine pouches with a built in protective layer for the gum that reduces burning and irritation of the users´ gums.

Prior to the test the 23 dentists, who were all consumers of snus or nicotine pouches, self documented their oral health status and then started using only Stingfree Strong Blue Mint pouches for five weeks. The test was supervised by expert dentist Mathias Ahl in Stockholm, who did not himself participate in the testing of the product.

Prior to the test 43.5% of the participating dentists declared having irritated gums and 95.7% had visible oral mucosal snus lesions. Snus lesions are a pathological change in the oral mucosa caused by using snus or nicotine pouches. These lesions are characterized by white or discolored wrinkles and thickening of the oral mucosa, see images from test subjects below.

Results

The test group saw significant oral health improvements from replacing their preferred snus and nicotine pouches with Stingfree nicotine pouches with a built in protective layer for the gums.

After five weeks the rate of test persons with irritated gums had been reduced from 43.5 % to 4.3 %.

The amount of dentists with oral mucosal snus lesions was reduced from 95.7 % to 65.2 % and the severity grade of oral mucosal damage was reduced by 51.9 %.

After the test was concluded 74% of the participants reported that their gums felt significantly healthier as compared to before the trial.

“I am very proud that my invention is now the world's only nicotine pouch that is recommended by dentists.” - Bengt Wiberg

Bengt Wiberg at a regular annual checkup at his dentist in Lidingö.

Image 1a: The upper gums of a 40-45 year old dentist who ordinarily uses portion snus and nicotine pouches. Prior to the the test, using Stingfree nicotine pouches, the gums had snus lesions with severity grade 3 out of 4 on the Axéll-scale

Image 1b: The upper gums of the same dentist (image 1a) after having replaced his ordinary pouches with Stingfree pouches for 5 weeks. There is no longer any snus lesions and the mucous membrane has completely healed.

Image 2a: The upper gums of a 35-40 year old dentist who ordinarily uses nicotine pouches. Prior to the test the gums had snus lesions with severity grade 4 out of 4.

Image 2b: The upper gums of the same dentist (image 2a) after having replaced his ordinary pouches with Stingfree pouches for 5 weeks. The snus lesions have been reduced substantially from severity grade 4 to severity grade 1.

Background

Swedish snus user Bengt Wiberg had been using snus pouches for many years when he suddenly started experiencing an intense burning pain on his gums when using snus. He made an emergency visit to his dentist who identified the problem as being irritated and inflamed gums (gingivitis). His dentist advised him to immediately stop using snus but Bengt refused out of fear that trying to quit snus, might result in him reverting back to more harmful smoking. Instead, he tried putting different tapes and patches on the gum side of his snus pouches. These protective layers immediately stopped the painful sensation on his gums. On his next visit to his dentist, Bengts’ gums looked pink and healthy again despite having continued using the same amount of snus as before, but now with protective tape layers on the gum side. His dentist even assumed that Bengt had in fact stopped using snus as had been suggested.

The innovation is now patent approved in the United States and Europe. Bengt now runs his company Sting Free AB together with his oldest son, Daniel Wiberg and successfully sells premium prized Stingfree nicotine pouches to retailers and e-traders. The company's vision is that the Stingfree pouch technology is to be used by all manufacturers of snus and nicotine pouches, in order to offer its benefits to all the world's pouch users.

What does clinical research say about the prevalence of oral mucosal snus lesions?

In a Norwegian clinical study in 2023 with 1,363 snus users aged 20-22 years, who had been using snus for an average of 3 years, 79.2% had snus lesions. In a clinical study by the University of Gothenburg in 2022 with 57 snus users, 70-90 % had snus lesions because of their snus and/or nicotine pouch use.

Why do snus and nicotine pouches adversely affect the gum and oral mucosa?

In order for the oral mucous membranes to absorb nicotine efficiently, the pH-level in the pouches must be higher than that of the mouth. When the pH-level of a product is higher than the pH-level of the oral cavity, it can result in a burning/corrosive effect that leads to gum irritation. Additionally, snus and nicotine pouches contain flavor agents that can also cause irritation of the gums and oral mucosa.

How does the patented technology work?