2nd Edition of Public Health World Conference (PHWC) 2026

Abstract

Oral Nicotine Pouches (ONPs) have emerged as an unexpected breakthrough amidst the persistent public health crisis caused by tobacco smoking. With 1.27 billion smokers worldwide and 3.7 billion people affected by oral diseases, ONPs offer a risk-reduced solution that help mitigate harm on both fronts. ONPs deliver nicotine without combustion and without tobacco – earning them a low spot on the relative risk scale, which sees tobacco smoking as 100% harm and complete cessation at 0%.

Increasingly, evidence also demonstrates that ONPs may be one of the most effective smoking cessation tools available today. This research explores such claims by tracing the origins and growth of ONPs with a particular focus on their potential in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and already-proven benefits among women in providing a gender-sensitive solution.

LMICs disproportionately bear 84% of the burden caused by the oral health crisis – a burden largely caused by smoking and high-risk smokeless tobacco use. This remains true despite decades of tobacco control efforts. While these efforts focus on a cessation-only approach, complementing them with tobacco harm reduction in general and ONPs in particular can help increase the rate of success. Similarly, this research explores how ONPs have helped account for gendered differences in cessation choices in countries such as Sweden – citing evidence of success and hopes of replication.

Finally, the research also examines common myths and misconceptions regarding tobacco harm reduction and ONPs, providing evidence of their incorrect or outdated nature in order to accurately understand the potential and power of ONPs in addressing the tobacco epidemic today for a healthier tomorrow.