www.ijcmr.com International Journal of Contemporary Medical Research Volume 3 | Issue 10 | October 2016 | ICV (2015): 77.83 | ISSN (Online): 2393-915X; (Print): 2454-7379 2990 Tobacco Cessation Counseling among Dental Professionals – Willingness, Knowledge and Perceived Barriers Tasneem S. Ain 1 , Saima Sultan 1 , Owais Gowhar 2 , Ravishankar TL 3 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ABSTRACT Introduction: Although dentists have a responsibility to deliver smoking cessation advice and assistance to their patients but smoking cessation counseling is not practically being made a part of the routine day to day practice. Aim: To assess the willingness, knowledge and barriers in tobacco cessation counseling by dentists in Kashmir, India. Material and methods: A close-ended, self administered 12 item-questionnaire was distributed among the 520 registered dentists in Kashmir; out of whom 425 participated in the study. The responses of the duly illed 410 questionnaires were subjected to descriptive analysis. Results: 67.07% of the dentists agreed that it is their role in helping patients to quit smoking. Around 53% of the respondents thought that their advice to the patients regarding quitting of tobacco use would not be beneicial while 48% of the respondents believed it to be useful. 77% of the dentists agreed that they do not get time to discuss about the beneits of quitting the use of tobacco with their patients. Conclusion: It was concluded that although dentists were aware of their obligations towards smoking cessation counseling for patients but certain factors like lack of time, conidence and training; as well as fear of losing patients, were the common barriers for the same. Keywords: Tobacco, smoking, dentists, counseling INTRODUCTION Nowadays the harmful effects of using tobacco on oral and general health are known to one and all. Every year, more than ive million people lose their lives, worldwide, due to the harmful effects of tobacco; hence making it the chief cause of death; although preventable. After every eight seconds someone, somewhere in the world, dies as a result of tobacco use. 1 The study of British doctors’ has revealed that the life span of smokers drop down by an average of 7.5 years; irrespective of the type and amount of tobacco smoked. 2 It has been anticipated that if the current trend in the use of tobacco is not arrested, about 450 million deaths will occur, worldwide, in the next 50 years. 3 Death due to various systemic diseases like lung cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases may be caused due to smoking, it being a well-known and recognized risk factor for such diseases. 4 It also causes premature hair graying, hair loss, and skin aging. 5,3 Moreover, a large number of oral conditions and diseases have been linked with smoking such as oral cancer, 6 periodontal diseases, 7 failure of periodontal therapy, 8 failure of dental implants, 9 oral pain, 10 and dental caries 11 and congenital defects like cleft palate/ cleft lip in children. 12 Enormous physical, mental, social and economic implications are associated with use of tobacco, in India. By 2020, it is predicted to account for 13% of all deaths in India. 13 Families of smokers on an average spend 3 times more on treatment of illness episodes compared with non-smokers. These families also reported 8 times increase in work days lost. 14 To overcome the heavy costs of hospitalization, for patients suffering from diseases caused due to tobacco use, the families are led to poverty as they are forced to borrow money, or take loans or sell their assets. 15 Preventive strategies can play an essential role in reducing these implications. One of the strategies to reduce the smoking-related diseases/ deaths is to promote the participation of health professionals in tobacco preventive and cessation health education programmes. While iscal policies such as taxation and prohibition of advertising have been effective, non-legislative and cost- effective approaches to tobacco cessation should be employed as well. Even short and concise dental ofice-based interventions can be effective in convincing and assisting tobacco users for quitting the same. Dentists play an imperative role in educating and counseling patients about health risks/consequences of tobacco-use as patients are in regular contact with dentists during the dental visits. Hence, a study was carried out among the dental professionals of Kashmir, to assess their willingness, knowledge and barriers in tobacco cessation counseling MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among the registered dental surgeons of Kashmir, India, to assess their willingness, knowledge and barriers in tobacco cessation for their patients. All the registered dental practioners who were willing to participate in the study were included. Exclusion criteria - those dental practioners who were not registered in the state dental council. A convenient sampling technique was employed; Out of the total 520 registered dentists, 425 participated in the study. A close-ended 12 item-questionnaire was formulated and pre- tested on around 10 dental surgeons using Cronbach’s alpha which was found to be satisfactory. In addition to the questions related to tobacco cessation counseling like the willingness, knowledge, training needs, barriers faced by dentists in tobacco cessation counseling, it included their personal demographic 1 Demonstrator, 3 Professor and Head, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Kothiwal Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad, 2 Dental Surgeon, Government Health Services Kashmir Corresponding author: Tasneem S. Ain, Department of Public Health, Kothiwal Dental College and Research Centre, Moradabad. How to cite this article: Tasneem S. Ain, Saima Sultan, Owais Gowhar, Ravishankar TL. Tobacco cessation counseling among dental professionals – willingness, knowledge and perceived barriers. International Journal of Contemporary Medical Research 2016;3(10):2990-2993.