An audit on the professional intervention of smoking

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence defines a clinical audit as a quality improvement process that seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through systematic review of care and the implementation of change.

The different steps that make up the audit cycle are outlined in Figure 1.

This article will discuss an audit regarding the provision of professional intervention for smoking by dental practitioners outlining each of these steps.

As well as general health complications, risks of smoking to oral health are vast, including periodontal disease, poor post-operative wound healing, effect on dental implants, discoloration of teeth and restorations and halitosis.¹ Perhaps the most significant and dangerous risk is oral cancer, where smokers are ten times more likely to suffer from oral cancer than people who have never smoked.² It is important that the general dental practitioner is delivering information regarding smoking cessation as required and recommended.