Dental students' smoking behavior and their attitude towards smoking

This study investigated dental students' smoking behavior and their attitudes, in order to provide programs to patients for giving up smoking. A questionnaire survey was conducted on dental students from November 2003 to February 2004. The subjects were 69 third-grade and 80 fifth-grade students of Tokyo Medical and Dental University. The following results were obtained. (1) The smoking rate of dental students was 19.4% (Male: 31.3%, Female: 5.8%). (2) About forty-three percent of the students had started smoking before entering the university. However, most of the students who smoked had started after entering the university. The smoking rate and number of cigarettes smoked of fifth-grade students were significantly higher than those of third-grade students. (3) Dental students recognized the health risks of smoking more than the general public, especially concerning periodontal disease. (4) Only 5.4% of students answered that they would actively provide advice and instructions about the health hazards of tobacco to patients who smoked. (5) The rate of students who answered that they had enough knowledge to conduct smoking cessation programs for patients was 21.5%. (6) Students who smoked showed positive attitudes towards dentists' smoking behaviors and had passive attitudes towards smoking cessation programs conducted by dentists. These results show it is necessary to conduct smoking cessation programs soon after entering university and to provide more lectures on tobacco and health issues as well as practical training programs about giving up smoking in the dental education curriculum.     

Oral health attitudes and behaviours of final‐year dental students

Objectives: The objectives of this study of final‐year dental students in 10 classes (1997, 2001—2009) were to examine their self‐reported oral health attitudes and behaviours and describe any trends in these attributes. Participants and methods: Students were surveyed in final semester via an anonymous questionnaire (34 behaviour questions; eight attitude statements). Distributions, trends over time and attitude–behaviour associations were examined. Results: Of 583 students, 459 responded (79%). All tooth‐brushed with fluoride toothpaste; 80% brushed ≥2/day. Overall, 85% flossed; over time flossing behaviour increased significantly (P < 0.05), and those flossing 1—2/day increased (P < 0.005). Over time, significant decreases occurred in those taught toothbrushing (P < 0.001) and flossing (P < 0.05), and in use of mouth rinses (P < 0.05) and tooth cleansing sticks/picks (P < 0.001). Almost all (96%) had received a dental examination; 77% attended a dentist 1—3/year. Between‐meal snacking was common (84%); 71% chewed gum. Although 18% had ever smoked, 5% currently smoked. Most strongly agreed they expected to keep most of their teeth for all their life (76%); their future needs for fillings would be minimal (61%); smoking could adversely affect their teeth or gums (85%); and regular dental attendance was important for their dental health (51%). Congruent attitudes and behaviours favouring oral health were widely held concerning dental attendance, flossing and smoking. Conclusions: Final‐year dental students showed well established, favourable oral hygiene attitudes and behaviours, with evidence to suggest this knowledge was developed whilst in dental school. Despite many ceasing smoking, 5% still smoked. All dental students should receive training in motivational counselling and tobacco cessation to ensure this is included in patient care.     

Attitudes of Italian dental and dental hygiene students toward tobacco-use cessation

Objective:  The aim of this study was to investigate the smoking habits of Italian dental and dental hygiene students and to assess their knowledge on the health effects of cigarette smoking and their attitudes toward tobacco-use cessation (TUC) in dental practice.
Materials and methods:  Data was collected from 220 students attending the Dental and Dental Hygiene Schools (DS and DHS, respectively) at the University of Palermo (Italy).
Results:  The percentage of smokers amongst DS and DHS students was similar (32.78% vs. 32.5%) with 67.77% of DS students and 77.5% of DHS agreeing that the damages to health caused by smoking were covered in their didactic course work. A high percentage of DS (63.33%) and DHS (67.5%) students reported the relationship between smoking and a number of associated health conditions. Both DS and DHS students showed poor knowledge of TUC interventions. Both DS and DHS students reported to be conscious of their own role as a counsellor, with DHS students feeling more comfortable in approaching counselling in clinical practice. Although DS and DHS students reported a positive attitude toward TUC interventions, almost half of the students had some concerns about the effectiveness of smoking cessation activities.
Discussion:  The introduction of a comprehensive tobacco education curriculum in DS and DHS programs could further improve students' perceptions and attitudes and provide knowledge and clinical experience which would lead to the incorporation of TUC into subsequent professional practice.     

Attitudes of Irish dental, dental hygiene and dental nursing students and newly qualified practitioners to tobacco use cessation: a national survey

BACKGROUND: Ireland has some of the strictest smoking regulations in the world. Little is known of the attitudes of student Irish dental healthcare workers towards tobacco control and tobacco use cessation. This study aimed at determining the knowledge and attitudes of these students towards the deleterious effects of tobacco in the mouth and towards tobacco use cessation in dental practice. METHOD: A questionnaire survey was distributed to 654 students (including newly qualified) on dentistry, dental hygiene and dental nursing programmes in Irish dental schools. Information sought included college, course, year of study, sex, age, nationality, smoking status, knowledge of effects of tobacco in the mouth and attitudes towards tobacco use cessation in dental practice and towards the Irish smoking bans. MAIN FINDINGS: There was a 90% response rate. In all, 12% of dental students, 25% of dental hygiene students and 31% of dental nursing students were current smokers. Newly qualified dental hygienists were as knowledgeable about tobacco effects in the mouth as newly qualified dentists. Overall, the majority in each student category believed that all three groups could be effective tobacco counsellors and should provide tobacco use cessation counselling to patients, although less than half of evening course dental nursing students felt that dental nurses could be effective counsellors or should provide counselling. There was overwhelming support for the Irish smoking ban. Only a minority of dental students and dental nursing students had received instruction in tobacco use cessation counselling. CONCLUSIONS: There are strong positive attitudes to tobacco use cessation counselling in dental practice among these young dental healthcare students. This is true even amongst those who have not received specific instruction in tobacco use cessation counselling.     

Knowledge and attitude of tobacco use and cessation among dental professionals

Aim

Smoking is the one of the most preventable causes of death worldwide. Dental professionals may play an important role in anti-smoking campaigns. The aim of this study was to evaluate current knowledge of and attitudes toward smoking and its cessation among dental professionals.

Materials and methods

This questionnaire-based study was carried out among general dental practitioners (GDPs) and dental students in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes toward tobacco use and cessation. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 18.0; IBM) and the Mann–Whitney U-test, with a significance level of p < 0.001.

Results

A total of 342 participants (130 GDPs, 212 dental students) with the mean age of 24 (standard deviation, 5) years participated in the study. One-third (33.8%, n = 44) of GDPs and 30.2% (n = 64) of dental students were smokers; small percentages (GDPs, 9.1% [n = 4]; dental students, 7.8% [n = 5]) were heavy smokers. The majority of participants rated both smoking cessation and prevention together as a very important preventive measure. Families were rated as the most important factor responsible for smoking cessation, whereas general practitioners were rated as the most important factor for providing assistance with cessation.

Conclusion

More meaningful participation of dental professionals in tobacco cessation is needed, with implications for related curriculum changes.     

Smoking-cessation advice from dental care professionals and its association with smoking status: Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018

BackgroundSmoking remains a major contributor to mortality and morbidity. Dental care professionals are positioned to help patients quit smoking. Results of clinical trials have shown the efficacy of dental care professionals’ smoking-cessation advice; however, the evidence of its effectiveness in the general population in the United States is limited. The authors examined the association between smoking-cessation advice from dental care professionals and quitting behaviors of adult smokers in the general population.MethodsThe authors used an observational study design with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 2015 through 2018. The authors included 1,024 respondents 18 years and older who were current or former smokers who quit smoking within the past 12 months and reported a dental visit within the past 12 months.ResultsAmong the study sample, 44.6% received smoking-cessation advice from a dental care professional. The authors found no significant association between smoking-cessation advice and any attempt to quit smoking (as a binary outcome; adjusted odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.68 to 1.80; P = .677). Although respondents who received smoking-cessation advice reported 18% more quit attempts (on a continuous scale; adjusted rate ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.39, P = .05), smoking-cessation advice was not associated with smoking abstinence beyond 6 months.ConclusionsReceiving smoking-cessation advice from a dental care professional was associated with more attempts to quit smoking but not with abstinence of 6 months or longer.Practical ImplicationsAdditional efforts seem to be needed for smoking cessation in dental practices. Implementing enhanced incentive programs or promoting tobacco-use cessation certification in dental education may be an effective strategy to enhance dental professionals’ knowledge and skills in providing additional support to their patients.     

Knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS amongst Kuwait university dental students

The HIV and AIDS have emerged as complex health threats to the world population. As future dentists, it is pertinent that the dental students have sufficient knowledge and a positive approach towards the disease. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess the HIV/AIDS related knowledge and attitudes amongst clinical dental students at Kuwait University. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted amongst the clinical dental students using a structured questionnaire with 60 questions to examine their knowledge under various categories and 13 questions to examine their attitudes towards the disease. The survey revealed that almost 58% of the respondents demonstrated a high level of knowledge (mean score: 45.23 ± 4.35 SD). Majority of the students (63.6%) expressed negative attitude (mean score: 5.36 ± 2.56 SD). The mean knowledge score of the fifth year dental students was significantly higher (P = 0.022) than that of the final year dental students regarding the knowledge of virus and disease process. However, no significant difference was observed with respect to other knowledge categories. Despite their high level of knowledge, the majority displayed a negative attitude towards HIV/AIDS. Hence, the findings imply that there is a need to address, more clearly, the students’ misconceptions and attitudes towards the disease.     

Greek dental students' attitudes toward tobacco control programmes

AIM: To explore the preparedness of Greek dental university students for advising patients to quit smoking; how the awareness of the students is modified from the beginning of university studies to graduation; and how it is associated with their smoking habits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Officially registered dental students (n=165) participated in the study by completing anonymously a 16-item questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted with the use of standard univariate statistical methods, whereas multivariate analysis relied on logistic regression modelling. RESULTS: Students showed significant knowledge attainment on tobacco health effects from the beginning of their studies to graduation, although 54% of graduating students were not aware of an association between smoking and implant failure. More than 80% considered tobacco cessation counselling a duty of every dentist, although 32% believed it to be ineffective. Almost half of the students felt unprepared to provide tobacco counselling. Students' attitudes towards tobacco cessation counselling did not change from the beginning of their studies to graduation, although they were modified by personal smoking habits. Non-smokers were significantly more optimistic than smokers about the effectiveness of tobacco cessation activities. CONCLUSIONS: Dental school students represent a promising baseline for education on tobacco control protocol development and clinical tobacco cessation intervention techniques.     

Knowledge and attitude towards smoking among Indian students of dentistry

Active cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer and an important established cause of cardiovascular disease mortality. Risks have been shown to increase with even light or intermittent active smoking. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of smoking, age of initiation and the knowledge and attitude towards smoking among dental college students of Rajasthan, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,383 undergraduate and postgraduate dental college students of Rajasthan using self-administered closed-ended questionnaires consisting of 14 questions divided into four sections. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Results: Of all the participants, 777 (56.2%) were male and 606 (43.8%) were female. Among these 258 (33.2%) males and 51 (8.4%) females had tried or experimented smoking. Majority of males (24.7%) initiated this habit at a very young age, before 16 years. About 79.5% males and 72.3% females felt that it was difficult to quit smoking. According to 88.1% females and 48.7% males, people feel less comfortable at public places or social gatherings. Conclusion: The study has shown that the smoking prevalence among dental college students is high and has managed to contribute additional information regarding their attitude towards smoking. Comprehensive tobacco education and smoking cessation programmes should be aggressively promoted in dental settings.     

Dental patients’ perceptions and motivation in smoking cessation activities

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate smokers’ perceptions of and motivation for smoking cessation activities in dentistry. Materials and methods Patients who smoked were consecutively recruited from general as well as specialist dental care clinics in Sweden. After a dental visit the patients completed a questionnaire about self-perceived oral health, smoking habits, motivation, reasons to quit and not to quit smoking, support to quit, smoking cessation activities and questions about smoking asked by dentists and dental hygienists. Results The sample consisted of 167 adult patients (≥?20 years) who smoked daily. During the last 6 months, 81% of the patients had experienced oral health problems. The most common complaints were discolourations of the teeth, periodontal problems and dry mouth (38%, 36% and 33%, respectively). Improved general health was a major reason to quit smoking (89%). It was also stated that it was important to avoid oral health problems. 71% of the patients preferred to quit by themselves and 16% wanted support from dentistry. High motivation to quit smoking was reported by 20%. Occurrence of periodontitis during the last 6 months was significantly associated with being highly motivated to stop smoking (OR?=?3.0, 95% CI?=?1.03–8.55). Conclusions This study revealed that, although it was important to quit smoking to avoid oral health problems, the patients were not aware that tobacco cessation activities can be performed in dentistry. Periodontal problems seem to be the most motivating factor among the patients who were highly motivated to stop smoking.     

Smoking cessation counseling in dentistry: attitudes of Nigerian dentists and dental students

The study was aimed at assessing the awareness, attitude, practices, willingness, and perceived barriers of dental students and dentists in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, in relation to smoking cessation in the dental care setting. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire that contained questions relating to attitudes, views, and perceived barriers to smoking cessation activities in the dental clinic was hand-delivered to all dentists and clinical dental students in 2007. One hundred and thirty-six respondents took part in the study (response rate=81.9 percent). Although 95 percent of the respondents believed that smoking affects the dental management of the patient, only 65 percent always ask their patients about their smoking habits, and only 30 percent have heard about smoking cessation programs. A significantly higher proportion of students always ask patients about their smoking habits compared with dentists (p=0.0017). Also, a significantly higher proportion of dentists (97 percent) advised their patients against tobacco use compared with 77 percent of students (p=0.0000). Only 2 percent and 3 percent agreed that it is their professional responsibility to educate or encourage patients to quit smoking, respectively. Also, 98 percent strongly disagreed that it is within the scope of dental practice to ask about tobacco use, and 86 percent disagreed that tobacco counseling can be effective in helping patients quit tobacco use. Perceived barriers reported were lack of time (88 percent), lack of necessary materials (81 percent), and lack of knowledge of smoking cessation (74 percent). However, 81 percent of the respondents said they are willing to undergo training in tobacco use cessation. Since most of the dentists and dental students had poor attitudes and negative perceptions of smoking cessation activities, possibly due to lack of training and resources to carry it out in the clinics, there is need to include smoking cessation training in the dental curriculum in Nigeria.     

Dental students'' attitude towards anti-smoking programmes: a study in Flanders, Belgium

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the dental students' attitude towards tobacco cessation counselling in the dental setting and to explore the influence of knowledge, belief in effectiveness, smoking status, gender and curriculum. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of all undergraduate students from the 2002-2003 classes of the Ghent University (n = 96). A validated questionnaire was administered to all students involving four different sections: demographic characteristics, attitude related to tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting, belief in their effectiveness and knowledge concerning tobacco health effects. Statistical analysis included simple univariate nonparametric tests for evaluating differences in attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes, belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting and knowledge of students concerning tobacco health effects by year of graduation, smoking status and gender. Multiple logistic regression was chosen to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Students view willingness to advise individual patients to quit using tobacco. Yet only 51.3% are willing to co-operate in anti-tobacco programmes at the community level, and the perception of students of the effectiveness of smoking cessation counselling in the dental setting is low. The variance of attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes was significantly affected by knowledge and the belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation programmes in the dental setting. Better knowledge and belief in effectiveness of tobacco cessation counselling was associated with an increasing positive attitude towards tobacco cessation programmes expressed by an odds ratio of 3.12 (95% CI 1.00-9.67) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.00-1.37) respectively. CONCLUSION: Belief in effectiveness and knowledge seem to influence the attitude of students towards tobacco cessation counselling. Practice implications: Besides imparting knowledge, the attitude of newly graduated dentists could be improved by stressing the effectiveness of smoking cessation activities during lectures and integrated training modules in the undergraduate education.     

Relationship between oral health-related knowledge,attitudes and behavior among 15–16-year-old adolescents—A structural equation modeling approach

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to confirm the previously observed attitudinal factor structure related to behavioral change and the knowledge–attitude–behavior model on dental health and hygiene among adolescents. Materials and methods. The study population consisted of all 8^th and 9^th graders (15–16 years) who started the 2004?2005 school year in Rauma, Finland (n = 827). Data on knowledge, attitudes, toothbrushing and using fluoride toothpaste were gathered by questionnaires. Hypothesized structure included four attitudinal factors related to dental health and hygiene: ‘importance of toothbrushing when participating in social situations’ (F1), ‘importance of toothbrushing for health-related reasons and better appearance’ (F2), ‘being concerned about developing caries lesions’ (F3) and ‘importance of toothbrushing for feeling accepted’ (F4). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model: pathways lead from knowledge to behavior both directly and via attitudes. The hypothesized model was also modified by removing non-significant pathways and studying the inter-relationships between attitudes. Results. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that factor F4 had to be removed. In the final model, knowledge influenced behavior directly and via two attitude factors, F1 and F2, which were inter-related. ‘Concern about developing caries lesions’ was a background factor influencing only knowledge. The final factor structure and SEM model were acceptable-to-good fit. Knowledge had a smaller effect on behavior than on attitudes. Conclusions. Our results support theories about the causal knowledge–attitudes–behavior chain, also for adolescents' oral health-related behaviors.     

FINDINGS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FROM A SMOKING CESSATION TRIAL UTILIZING A CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT TOOL

BackgroundTobacco smoking is the leading cause of disease, death, and disability in the United States. Dental practitioners are advised to provide evidence-based smoking cessation interventions to their patients, yet dental practitioners frequently fail to deliver brief smoking cessation advice.ObjectivesTo test whether giving dental practitioners a clinical decisions support (CDS) system embedded in their electronic dental record would increase the rate at which patients who smoke (1) report receiving a brief intervention or referral to treatment during a recent dental visit, (2) taking action related to smoking cessation within 7 days of visit, and (3) stop smoking for 1 day or more or reduce the amount smoked by 50% within 6 months.MethodsTwo-group, parallel arm, cluster-randomized trial. From March through December 2019, 15 nonacademic primary care dental clinics were randomized via covariate adaptive randomization to either a usual care arm or the CDS arm. Adult smokers completed an initial telephone survey within 7 days of their visit and another survey after 6 months.ResultsForty-three patients from 5 CDS and 13 patients from 2 usual care clinics completed the 7-day survey. While the proportion of patients who reported receipt of a brief intervention or referral to treatment was significantly greater in the CDS arm than the usual care arm (84.3% vs 58.6%; P = .005), the differences in percentage of patients who took any action related to smoking cessation within 7 days (44.4% vs 22.3%; P = .077), or stopped smoking for one day or more and/or reduced amount smoked by 50% within 6 months (63.1% vs 46.2%; P = .405) were large but not statistically significant.ConclusionsDespite interruption by COVID-19, these results demonstrate a promising approach to assist dental practitioners in providing their patients with smoking cessation screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment.     

A comparative study of oral health knowledge,attitude and behaviour of first and final year dental students of Udaipur city,Rajasthan, India

Abstract: Objective: To assess and compare differences in oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among first and final year dental students in Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India. Materials and methods: In a cross‐sectional study, 182 first year students (59 males and 123 females) and 157 final year students (75 males and 82 females) of the two dental colleges in Udaipur city; Rajasthan, were surveyed using a self‐administered structured questionnaire including 37 multiple choice questions pretested through a pilot survey. The data was analysed using the spss version 10.0. The mean percentage scores, standard deviation and frequency distribution were calculated. The Student’s t‐test and anova test were used as test of significance. The linear regression analysis were used to assess the relation of knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Results: The mean % score for oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour were significantly higher in final year students compared to first year students (P < 0.001). The linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant linear relationship of attitude with the knowledge (P < 0.001) and behaviour with the attitude (P < 0.001) of the students. Conclusion: Besides the positive changes revealed in the oral health knowledge, attitude and behaviour, among the students from first to final year of dental studies, preventive behaviour among the students could still be improved.     

Perceptions of dental students in India about smoking cessation counseling

Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India. Many studies have shown that counseling from a health professional is an effective method of helping patients quit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dental students in Karnataka, India, towards smoking cessation counseling. A questionnaire study was conducted among a convenience sample of 329 dental students comprised of III year and IV year students and interns in three dental colleges in Karnataka, India. Of the 329 students who completed the questionnaire, twenty-two (7 percent) were current smokers, and fifteen (5 percent) were ex-smokers. Although 94 percent responded they were giving antismoking advice to their patients, only 47 percent said they had been taught antismoking advice suitable for patients. While a majority (95 percent) planned to advise patients about tobacco use in their professional careers, significantly fewer (66 percent) indicated that such counseling would help patients to quit. This study of dental students and interns found that a majority intended to provide smoking cessation counseling in their professional career and agreed it is part of their professional role.     

Smoking cessation interventions in the Oxford region: changes in dentists' attitudes and reported practices 1996-2001

OBJECTIVES: To investigate dentists' current beliefs and practices (2001) with respect to smoking cessation interventions and any changes that might have occurred since the last survey in 1996. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: General dental practitioners on the health authority lists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. RESULTS: A response rate of 71% (696/984) was achieved. The majority of dentists (88.6%) thought that dentists should encourage their patients to stop smoking (increase of 6.3% since 1996; 95%CI 2.6, 10.2; p=0.001), although only 42.2% believed dentists were effective in this area (non-significant increase of 4.8% since 1996). Only 48.4% routinely recorded their patient's smoking status (increase of 30.3% since 1996; 95%CI 25.4, 34.9; p<0.001) and only 26.9% always discussed the habit with smokers (increase of 9.5% since 1996; 95%CI 5.1, 13.9; p<0.001). Less than 10% reported a good knowledge of NRT or Bupropion. About half of respondents requested more training and resources. CONCLUSIONS: Dentists generally have positive attitudes to being involved in smoking cessation interventions, but although there are significant increases between 1996 and the current survey, few are active in this area. More training and resources may encourage dentists to be more proactive in helping their patients to stop smoking.