Tobacco Use and Cessation Counseling among Dental Professionals in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among dental professionals and their attitudes and behaviors about tobacco cessation counseling in Saudi Arabia. A total of 359 male and female dental professionals participated in this cross-sectional study. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was administered among study participants by visiting dental hospitals and clinics in Saudi Arabia. In the study, 15.9% of the participants were current tobacco users and 50.4% had a tobacco user at home or the workplace. Most participants reported that tobacco use is associated with bad breath (88.9%), oral cancer (88.3%), dryness of the mouth (80.8%), and bad taste (79.9%). Most participants asked patients about their tobacco habits (86.6%), mentioned tobacco habits in patient records (71.3%), and explained the benefits of quitting tobacco (79.9%). Less than half the sample (47.1%) referred patients to tobacco quitting services/programs. Male gender (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.50, 95% CI 2.48–12.23, p < 0.001), having a tobacco user at home/the workplace (AOR 3.18, 95% CI 1.57–6.45, p 0.001), and believing that tobacco cessation counseling was a waste of time (AOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.13–4.76, p 0.021) were associated with significantly increased odds of tobacco use among dental professionals. The study concluded that tobacco use was common among dental professionals despite their awareness of the adverse effects of tobacco. Reduction in tobacco use and promotion of counseling skills among dental professionals should be achieved through public health measures.

Perception of tobacco hazards on general and periodontal health and tobacco cessation counseling among dental students

“…By being aware of the harmful effects of smoking and the methods of TCC, dental professionals can guide their patients toward quitting smoking and avoiding its complications. Results of the present study showed that the overall response rate among the study sample was76.2%, which is similar to other studies such as Aljubran et al 16 and Maharani et al 17 , with response rates of 77.7 and 78.45%, respectively. The study found that 23.8% of students were current smokers, primarily cigarette, which is less than the level reported in previous studies 14 , 18 .…”