Evaluation of tobacco use cessation (TUC) counselling in the dental office

Tobacco use cessation (TUC) in dentistry is critical to reducing the effect of a major risk factor for both oral and systematic diseases. The effect of TUC interventions has been widely reported. The data show that the success of TUC without professional support is negligible but that behavioural and pharmacological interventions are effective. Furthermore, the greater the intensity of support, the greater the quit rate and success rates are similar comparing different health care professionals including dental professionals. Although few studies have been performed in dental practice, it is clear that TUC should be embedded in routine oral health care. In addition to evaluating the effect of TUC, several studies have investigated barriers to implementing TUC in dental settings. A large number of barriers have been reported. These studies highlight the importance of further training for dental professionals but also identify the need for major cultural and policy changes to facilitate the provision of TUC. Research on barriers to TUC in dental care could be facilitated by employing qualitative or mixed methods designs and studies that evaluate the impact of changing such barriers on TUC provision. Such an approach will help to close the gap between research findings and implementation. Regarding the measurement of outcomes from TUC, no gold standards exist currently. Therefore both self-reported and biochemical measures of tobacco use should be reported in evaluation studies. It is also clear that feedback from biochemical testing of tobacco use can increase success rates in tobacco use cessation.