Responsibility of dentist towards tobacco quitting: Perceptions of dental students

Abstract

Introduction Tobacco dependence is a chronic disease that often requires repeated intervention and multiple attempts to quit. Effective treatment exists however, that can significantly increase rates of long-term abstinence. Our objective was to evaluate the perceptions and primary domains of attitudes of dental students with reference to tobacco cessation counselling. Methods The study involved 62 male students and 138 female students, for a total of 200 responses, in Andhra Pradesh, India. Principle component analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify inter-item associations, to check for rudimentary items, and to establish underlying constructs among items. Internal consistency and reliability were assessed using Cranbach’s alpha. Two principle-component analyses were conducted. In the first analysis with 20 items, the KMO and Bartlett’s test showed a sampling adequacy of 0.704 and significance with p<0.001. The internal consistencies of the two components were 0.814 and 0.783, respectively. Results The mean age of the dental students who participated was 22.2±0.5 years. Lengthy clinical procedures and lack of time to give cessation counselling at the dental office were the main barriers among 66% of the study subjects. Patient resistance to quitting tobacco use was also another strong barrier identified by 52% students. In comparison to previous research, the principle-component analysis of our data revealed that effectiveness remained as a discrete factor. Professional responsibility and scope of dental practice collapsed into one factor, which we identified as scope and responsibility. A new factor, identified as prescriptions, also emerged as a significant domain. Conclusions Health care providers can play a vital role in helping their patients attempt and realize tobacco cessation as it was clearly evident that dental students were in acceptance of tobacco cessation counselling as an integral part of oral health delivery. The treatment of tobacco dependence should be included in the dental curriculum.

Keywords

• addiction
• dental students
• dental clinics
• counselling
• advocacy