Key Points
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Smoking is a major public health problem in the UK.
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Evidence-based guidelines provide clear guidance to health professionals on effective ways of helping patients to stop smoking.
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Dentists and their teams have an opportunity to become involved in smoking cessation activities.
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A range of public health measures are also required to support clinician's efforts against smoking.
Abstract
In 1998, the UK government published a White Paper outlining a comprehensive range of measures to reduce smoking rates across the population. In the same year a detailed overview of the evidence base for smoking cessation activities within the NHS was published. Both these documents provide useful information for health professionals interested in developing their roles in smoking cessation and prevention. An increased risk for the development of oral malignacies and a susceptibility for the breakdown of periodontal tissues are the most significant effects of smoking on the mouth. This paper aims to highlight how dentists and their team members can become actively involved in efforts to reduce smoking. Opportunities at both a clinical and public health level are considered.
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The authors are grateful to Dr Ann McNeill at the Health Education Authority for her helpful comments on this manuscript.
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Watt, R., Johnson, N. & Warnakulasuriya, K. Action on smoking — opportunities for the dental team. Br Dent J 189, 357–360 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800768
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800768
