Smoking cessation advice taught in dental schools

KEY POINTS * Most European dental schools expect students to take tobacco histories from patients. * A small number of schools need to update their approach to tobacco education in

dentistry. * There is still considerable variation between regions in Europe. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To investigate the policies and practices of European dental schools in relation to smoking

as a ten-year follow-up. DESIGN A postal survey questionnaire. SETTING European dental schools in 2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred and one European dental schools were identified from

the DentEd database. A postal questionnaire was sent to each with up to three follow-up letters to non-responders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Results were tabulated and compared with the

previous study (1993). RESULTS The effective response rate (allowing for errors in the database) was 149 of 199 schools (72%). Eighty schools (59%) had written tobacco policies, 132 (92%)

banned smoking in clinical areas, 127 (89%) in non-clinical areas and 122 (85%) in public access areas. One hundred and seven (76%) expected students to take tobacco histories from all

patients, while 79 (69%) and 100 (70%) respectively taught students anti-smoking advice and expected them to give such advice. The number of schools teaching the role of tobacco in oral

cancer aetiology was 133 (93%), in periodontal disease was 135 (94%) and in osseointegrated implant failure was 127 (91%). There was considerable regional variation between northern,

southern and eastern Europe. Direct comparison of the responses of the 78 schools that replied in both 1993 and 2003 showed some improvements in most of their policies and practices.

However, there was some deterioration in the practices of southern European schools. CONCLUSIONS While improvements were seen in the practices of most schools, comparison with recent US data

suggests that European schools lag behind. However, self-selection of respondents may have introduced bias into the results. MAIN Policies and practices of European dental schools in

relation to smoking; a ten-year follow-up B. E. McCartan and D. B. Shanley _Br Dent J_ 2005; 198: 423–425 COMMENT It is interesting to see how things change (or sometimes don't change)

over time and in the light of increasing evidence. While the association between smoking and oral cancers has been known for decades a large amount of new information on links between

smoking and both periodontal disease progression and implant failure has become available in the last 10 years. Clearly smoking cessation advice has now become as much a part of modern

clinical dentistry as plaque control. This follow up survey-based study shows the slow integration of smoking cessation strategies into dental curricula in Europe over the past 10 years. The

regional variations are a likely reflection of cultural attitudes to smoking in the various countries, as is the variation in no-smoking policies within the various dental schools. As is

too often the case, Europe lags behind North America in integrating no-smoking policies within dental schools as well as teaching of smoking cessation; effectively all part of the same

message. It is, however, rewarding to see over 90% of schools already including information on smoking as it relates to periodontal diseases and implant failure, but a little alarming that

if anything teaching on the association with cancer has declined. I would anticipate that over the next 10 years, North West Europe will come close to the North American 'gold

standard' while the South and East will have more difficulty overcoming the influence of their dominant smoking culture. At the initial meeting of the EU Working Group on Smoking and

Oral Health, out of 30 dentists from the then 15 EU countries, 4 went out for a cigarette at the coffee breaks (all from the Mediterranean area) and representatives of one southern country

argued that less than 60 cigarettes a day should not be defined as heavy smoking - clearly there is some way to go. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Senior Lecturer in Dental

Primary Care, University of Glasgow, C Bain Authors * C Bain View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and

permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Bain, C. Smoking cessation advice taught in dental schools. _Br Dent J_ 198, 415 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4812193 Download

citation * Published: 09 April 2005 * Issue Date: 09 April 2005 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4812193 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read

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