References
The dentist's role in smoking cessation management — a literature review and recommendations: part 1
From Volume 45, Issue 3, March 2018 | Pages 197-206
Article
Dentists find themselves in a privileged position. They can access a part of the body actively affected by smoking, even when the individual is healthy. They should therefore be proactive in delivering smoking cessation advice to prevent the deterioration of oral and indeed general health in these individuals.
This article presents a review of current strategies regarding the need for, and provision of, adequate smoking cessation advice by the dental profession and is split into two parts. This part focuses on the oral implications of smoking, alongside the role of the dentist in eliciting a change toward cessation. This means that there must be a basic understanding of how to implement brief cessation advice. The dentist can then impart knowledge appropriately to the smoker of potential oral sequelae. For example, a smoker noticing that his/her teeth are becoming loose may be a crucial motivating factor in encouraging cessation.
Part 2 focuses on the ‘stages of change’ approach to encourage smoking cessation, continuing a ‘patient-centred’ approach. Knowledge of the ‘stages of change’ model ensures that the dentist offers advice that is appropriate based on the patient's willingness to quit, safeguarding the dentist-patient relationship. It is important that the dentist understands nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), pharmacotherapy and electronic cigarettes to answer any questions which may be fielded by the patient. We have therefore provided simple, yet thorough and appropriate, information within the second article.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Dental Update and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
- Up to 2 free articles per month
- New content available