Snus users who suffer from irritated gums or so-called snuff lesions can reduce their discomfort by switching to a new type of snuff bag. At least that's the opinion of 20 Swedish dentists who spent five weeks testing so-called Stingfree pouches - a Swedish invention with built-in protection for the gums.
The story of Sting-free actually started in the dentist's chair. The snuffer Bengt Wiberg had problems with irritated gums and were told to stop using snuff or risk tooth loss.
"It was a big blow for me. Snus was what kept me smoke-free and I really didn't want to quit. So I started experimenting. Among other things, I tried covering the part of the snus bag that was against my gums with surgical tape. That immediately made it more comfortable. When I went back to the dentist a year later, the irritation was completely gone and I was given the thumbs up to continue snuffing. That was the beginning of the Stingfree concept," says Bengt Wiberg to Vejpkollen.
Met with scepticism
But like many innovations in an already established market, in this case the snus market, Stingfree was met with scepticism.
"There was a little interest from the snus manufacturers. At the same time, the larger companies felt that the "sting" you get from the snus portion was a bit of the "thing" about snus. In any case, they felt that customers did not experience any major problems with lesions. I thought differently, so I ended up starting my own business." says Bengt Wiberg
pH value affects gums
Snuff lesions are a pathological change in the oral mucosa caused by snuffing. It is likely to be caused by the pH of the snus bag being higher than the pH of the mouth, a ratio necessary for the body to absorb the nicotine from the snus. However, when the pH of a product is higher than the pH of the mouth, it can lead to a slight corrosive or burning effect. This, in turn, leads to irritation of the gums - that is, snuff lesions. Snuff lesions are characterised by white or discoloured wrinkles and thickening of the oral mucosa.
Receiving support from dentists
But according to Bengt Wiberg, the now patented pouch can help snus users who have problems with snuff lesions to regain healthy gums. And now his thesis is supported by 20 sniffing dentists.
"It's a fairly simple study where 23 snus-using dentists swapped their regular portion snus for sting-free varieties for five weeks. Then they would look at whether the switch led to any changes in their gums," Bengt Wiberg told Vejpkollen.
Discomfort decreased
Before the test, 43.5% of the dentists had irritated gums and 95.7% had snuff lesions. After five weeks, the problems had been reduced by half. A good grade, says Bengt Wiberg.
"87 per cent of doctors said that they could recommend the Stingfree pouch to snus-using patients who, for whatever reason, are unwilling or unable to give up snus," says Bengt Wiberg.
"Many have problems"
Bengt Wiberg now hopes that the innovation will catch on in the market and that snus users with gum problems can find a practical solution.
"I know from the feasibility studies we did for this launch that there are many snus users who have problems with lesions. I developed the product to help myself and others who are in the same boat as I was before. Snus is important to many people, especially those of us who use it to keep cigarettes away. But it is just as important that we take care of our gums" says Bengt Wiberg.
Tested for five weeks
The trial was carried out by having 23 dentists test Stingfrree for five weeks. They were asked to compare the degree of lesions at the beginning and at the end of the period. They were then asked to answer questions about their judgement of the effects and whether they would recommend stinging patients to switch to a sting-free pouch.
